


Space Oddity

by vaiken



Category: Doctor Who, Doctor Who (2005)
Genre: Angst, BAMF Rose Tyler, F/M, Fix-It, Fluff and Angst, Friendship is Magic, Reunion Fic, Romance, Slow Burn, season 4
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2017-07-16
Updated: 2018-10-20
Packaged: 2018-12-03 01:06:18
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 15
Words: 47,655
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/11521329
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/vaiken/pseuds/vaiken
Summary: Rose Tyler had one mission: Don't be discovered. The Doctor has accepted that Rose is forever lost to him.  Time and Fate have other plans. Season 4 reunion fic





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> First Doctor Who fanfic! I know I'm late to the party but hey better late than never! Hope you enjoy it. Happy reading! A million thanks for my beta, Penandpaper83.

** Chapter 1 **

If someone had said to Martha that seeing Brighton one day would have thrilled her, she would never have believed it. But, after nearly a year of avoiding the Master's agents and talking about the Doctor, she was overjoyed to see the shores of England again. Because it meant that she was finally near the end of this nightmare. The horror she witnessed during this past year made her more than ready to end all this and go back to her life. She really loved the Doctor for all of the adventures that he took her on, and the sights that she never thought she'd get to see, but this year only proven to her that her first love would always be her desire to be a proper doctor.

"We're almost there. We need to be very quiet. The Master has a lot of agents snooping around here, and it's worse as we approach London. Are you sure you want to go there?" her visibly nervous escort asked while looking over his shoulder. The young man had been under order by the head of the local UNIT contingent to escort her from France to Brighton. He had been uneasy the whole trip, and would only be calm once he reached the safety of his base.

Martha sighed while looking around the desert town. "If we're going to stop the Master and all this madness, the I need to go to London." She looked at him. "You know, you weren't commanded to escort me this far. You could have given me the boat and told me where to go. Or you could have let me go alone into the city. I would have understood." That wasn't a lie. His family was a country away, and until three days ago he didn't even know her at all. Aside from her stories, she was a nobody to him.

Bolero was the name he wanted to be known as, and she didn't feel as if she knew him enough to ask for his real name. He smiled. "Someone brave enough to travel the world unarmed by herself? Was just something I needed to see for myself. Beside if I let you go alone, she'd probably kill me." He snorted while kicking at a pebble.

Martha was intrigued. "Who?"

"Me," a voice called from behind them.

Martha and Bolero spun around with Bolero raising his weapon just in case.

"At ease, soldier," the person commanded with a hint of amusement in their voice. "You can holster your weapon. Sorry to have surprised you."

Martha eyed the young woman before them. She appeared to be roughly two or three years older than her. She seemed friendly enough, with a nice smile and dark blond hair. However the habit of staying on guard when meeting a new person, regardless of if they held any sort of power or not, caused her to remain rigid and alert. "Who are you? Where did you come from?"

The woman's smile morphed into a smirk. "I was waiting for you, Martha Jones. Please feel free to call me Wolf if you want. Everyone else does." She turned to Bolero. "Good job, Captain, I will take it from here. Do you want to come with us or do you prefer to go back?"

"Thank you, Colonel. If it's alright with you, I would prefer to leave now. If I speed a little I should be back before the morning," Bolero answered after a perfect salute.

Wolf shook her head, as if she was expecting this answer. "As you wish. Have a safe return and give my respect to Ahmed will you?"

"Yes 'Ma'am" He turned to Martha and held out his hand." It was a pleasure to be your escort. Best of luck to you in your mission."

She shook his hand and smiled. "It was really nice knowing you. Be safe." Then in a surge of gratitude she hugged him. "I really hope one day you will tell me why you named yourself Bolero."

"If you survive this, I will tell you my whole life story if you want."

She released him with a small laugh. "That a promise."

"Sorry to interrupt but we have to go, it's not really safe here," Wolf reminded them with a cautious glance around her.

With a last smile and waves, the small group separated. But two seconds later Bolero turned around and shouted, "Hey Martha?"

The two woman halted and Martha raised an eyebrow

"My name is Thomas. Thomas Berger." And with a last smile he ran away, as Martha enjoyed the first real laugh she's had in a month.

xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx

They were walking in silence after seeing Bolero off. Wolf was walking without even looking everywhere except straight ahead. A sight that Martha was not accustomed; whereas she had gotten used to sleeping with 'one eye open' and always keeping to the shadows. All out of fear of being discovered by someone working for the Master or a roaming Toclafane. She still had her key but for even that wasn't comforting enough. Not with everything she witnessed. During the first few months after the Doctor sent her on this mission, she had constant nightmares of what would happen to her if they found her. And now, with her mission almost over, that fear was back almost in full force.

"So why Wolf?" Martha inquired in an attempt to break the uncomfortable silence.

She shrugged her shoulder. "That's sorta my name. But to be fair, I was more known as Bad Wolf in the very beginning." When Martha looked at her funny, she continued, "not that I'm a fan of the story or anything. It's just..." She looked into the distance with a sad face. "At first it was a joke. To remind me of something really important for me, even if that had gone to hell. But that was taken a little too seriously. So since that day it's also my code name. But it was a little too fairytale for some, so it's just Wolf. And with what's happening now, I think it's not a bad sign." She smiled at Martha. "But if you don't like it, you can still call me Colonel."

"You seem to be quite young to be colonel." Martha noted. "You're what… 25 maybe 27 at the most?"

Wolf smiled widely, her eyes taking a golden reflection with the sun. "Don't judge a book by its cover. I look younger than I am"

That surprised Martha. "Oh really? By how much?"

"Let's just say that I moisturize." Wolf snickered as if she had a private joke with herself, confusing Martha at the same time.

Martha opened her mouth to ask about the context, however Wolf suddenly announced, "Here we are." They walked through a maze of abandoned buildings, before finally entering one of the warehouses. "We'll stay here for a day. Two at most. Just some time to find a safer way to get into London?"

Martha nodded her head, temporarily distracted by the number of people in the warehouse. She hasn't seen this many people, at least a hundred by her count, in one place since Russia three months ago.

"Like you can see, we are a rather large crowd. In the scheme of things, it's really not safe, but I don't have the heart to separate anyone..." She sighs. "At least we can try to defend the maximum of people here. We do have the advantage of strength in numbers incase we get unwelcome guests."

"So you have plenty of people. Why am I here? Do you need me for medical assistance?"

"No, no we are good on that." Wolf motioned towards the little group of men and woman in brown jackets. "That's our medical support. They are the survivor of the local UNIT medical branch. Thank you though for the offer, and if we need anything we will not hesitate to ask." She then led Martha towards the back of the room.

"You were an UNIT officer before all this Master craziness?" The picture was seemingly getting clearer, yet fuzzier for Martha which each passing second. This woman was an all out mystery, and an inquisitive habit formed by her travels with the Doctor pushed her to learn more.

Wolf showed her something which could pass as a chair while taking a seat herself. "Yeah, technically I was. Well, I'm more the one sent in when everything is going pear shaped. They'll send me and a few other people wherever we're needed no matter the location. Almost like an expert in alien life if you want to see it like that. Well… not an expert like the Doctor, but we are trying to do our best. And I must insist that I'm more of a science person than a soldier." She shrugged. "Not really a fan of gun, me. But we can't afford to be too much peaceful these days." She looked at the other people in the place, some of them clearly way too young to have a gun in arms. Martha wanted clearly to ask more questions, including how she knew of the Doctor, but she was interrupted by a soldier who was frantically running towards them.

"Colonel, we have a situation!" He began. Martha made a move to let him take her seat, but he dismissed her with a gest of his hand. "The alpha team is under fire. They had an encounter with a dozen of the Master's soldiers and three Toclafane are said to be on their way. If we don't do something now, they are lost!"

"Rashtek!" Wolf shouted, at the surprise of Martha, who hadn't heard this particular insult since her travel in the market of Cashel. "Alright, tell team beta and omega to gear up and move out, we're going now!" She gave Martha an apologetic smile. "Sorry, I need to go." She looked around, visibly searching someone. "Appolo!"

A boy no more than sixteen answered as he jogged over. "I need you to take care of Martha until I come back," Wolf said quickly before taking off to finish preparations with her teams.

The young man smiled at her timidly. "So you are Martha?"

She smiled. "Yes. Martha Jones. And you?"

"I'm Apollo." He then added, "Wolf named me after she found me in a basement with my guitar."

"Nice. So everyone has a nickname here?"

"Yeah. With the Master so close, it's better that way. We are not supposed to say our real name to anyone. Wolf says that name have meaning and power. We have to hold them close."

Time passed, and the more she and Apollo talked, the more she was intrigued by Wolf. "So she's the person in charge here?"

"Oh yes! You can't find better person here!" Say Apollo with pride. "She the one who has kept us safe. Taught us things to help keep us alive."

Martha was still curious. "And you know her well?"

Apollo shook his head. "No. But then again, nobody really knows her. Some of the soldiers say they've heard this story, or that story but they never have proof. Even one that claims her to be this legendary figure. But I don't know that much, they don't really talk to me. I'm just a kid for them..." He was somber for a few seconds, like he was remembering something before suddenly smiling brightly. "But she's really nice, and sometimes she's funny, I think you'll like her alot!. She saved my life! She also protects all of us." He was quiet, looking into the distance with a look who broke Martha heart. So many lives destroyed by the Master. It was really not fair. He looked around briefly before asking the burning question on his mind. "So is it true? Wolf said that you are the one with the stories, and that you were tasked with the mission to go around telling them. Did you really travel into the stars?"

She smiled at the his hopeful expression. She could tell that he'd remember everything she was about to tell him as he spread the tale. "Yes, I am. Would you like to hear one of them now?"

When he nodded enthusiastically, Martha took a deep breath and began the story.


	2. Chapter 2

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> New chapter! Sorry it's a little short but I'm moving to another country (so I will be a little busy for the next week...) and I wanted to post something before my departure. Thanks for reading, please let me know if you’re enjoying the story! And as always, a million thanks for my beta, Penandpaper83.

**Chapter 2**

 

Wolf and her men didn't come back until well into the night. Almost everyone was asleep, happy and joyful after having listening to Martha for hours. They were eager to know everything about her and the Doctor. However, the opposite applied to Martha, as the excitement and the joy of telling her story made her more wired than anything.

"Still not asleep I see," Wolf offered as she joined Martha by the fire. "What’s keeping you awake?"

"Just the adrenaline.” Martha gave a tiny shrug. “I normally don’t sleep right away when I'm talking about why I'm here. Your mission was successful?"

Wolf sighed and sadly shook her head. "We lost two men..."

"I'm sorry." Martha turned her full attention towards Wolf, ready to be a sympathetic ear if needed.

After a moment of silence the blond woman turned her head toward Apollo, who was sleeping close to Martha. "Did he take good care of you?"

"Oh yes," Martha said with a smile. "He was very nice, and a very good listener." She looked at the kids and older one scattered all around the fire. "They all were."

"You know you give them hope. It's a good thing to have."

They stayed in silence during a long moment, staring at the fire. After a few minutes Martha considered asking more questions to know this Wolf person a little better, when the other woman began to talk again.

"Can I ask you a question?" she said, almost shyly.

"Yes. Of course." Martha nodded.

"How he is? I mean the Doctor...How he is when he is with you?"

"What do you mean?" Martha asked, giving Wolf a curious look. And for the first time, the woman seemed lost.

"Is he happy? I mean before the Master, he was happy?" Wolf diverted her gaze towards one of the groups of slumbering children. Martha recognized Wolf’s intent almost immediately; trying to subtly gather information on a particular subject.

Martha tooks a few seconds to consider her response. Is the Doctor happy? Outside of current circumstances… Yes, he appeared happy most of the time. But, there times where she could see just how deeply sad and wounded he was deep down. She knew what a person in mourning looked like, and it was obvious that it was for his planet and probably of Rose as well.

But right now people needed a hero. Someone who was still capable to make you want to fight. Especially after having lost people, like the colonel did today. And like she said earlier that evening: hope was a good thing. "Yes, I think he was. Before everything happened with the Master, He smiled a lot and he couldn’t seem to stay still." A smile was on Martha’s face now as she recalled her adventures. "He hates it when I sleep, said it's a waste of time. If I was crazy enough to take his advice, I will only sleep every four days. Sometimes he reminds me of a giant baby." She chuckled. "You know what the funniest thing about him is? He’ll talk to his ship a lot! Like all the time! Sometimes I'm almost waiting for his ship to respond."

Wolf was smiling with what Martha could swear was longing. She was also moving her head, like she was pondering something. "Great! That's great. I'm happy he’s not alone. Having someone is the most important thing in the world. Especially someone like him."

"What do you mean?" Martha was intrigued by her choice of words.

She waved her hand in dismissal. "I work for UNIT, I know his story. It's been years since we even heard of any Time Lord beside him or the Master. Saving the world, traveling in the entire Universe and being a hero. It can be hard on you, and you need to have someone to keep you in check and hold your hand. If you don't, you start to forget why you are doing this."

"You seem to know a lot about saving the world and all..."

"I have my fair share of adventures. The perk of being employed by UNIT for years. So yes I saved the world once or twice." Wolf stated proudly, looking directly into Martha eyes. The stare of the soldier was full of sorrow and pain, reminding Martha too much of the Doctor. Maybe that's why she looked so sad. Losing everything could do that to a person.

"For what you've lost I'm sorry," Martha offered, surprising herself by taking Wolf’s hand in hers. This year had been very hard on everyone. But those who were still trying to resist, who were still fighting, were generally those with nothing to lose. And she had a feeling that the colonel was one of those people.

Wolf was clearly startled by the gesture. "Oh! Well, uhm, thank you." She frowned, not looking at her and slightly uncomfortable at the contact. "I have to check on the perimeter. Good night, Martha." In a flash she was gone, walking with long strides towards the other end of the warehouse.

Martha sighed while rubbing at her eyes, feeling exhausted all of a sudden. She hoped that she hadn’t inadvertently set back progress between her and Wolf. She liked her and still wanted to talk to her more. It had been a long time since she had any sort of connection like that with someone, regardless of how big or small the interaction was. With a last look, she stood up and took one of the blankets. A good night of sleep, that's what she needed.

Tomorrow was another day.


	3. Chapter 3

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I'm really sorry for the delay! But moving country, house and job at the same time were a little more time consuming than planned lol. This chapter is longer than the last two so I hope you will like it! I would really appreciate if you could tell me what you liked (or not) That's help a lot. Like always one million thanks to my wonderful beta Penandpaper83! She the best.

**Chapter 3**

The next day Martha was suddenly woken by a very enthusiastic Apollo who was smiling ear to ear. "We found a secure way for you to go to London! I heard Wolf mentioning it to Gandalf a few minutes ago! Isn’t that awesome?"

Martha grumpily rubbed at her eyes as she yawned. Too much information before coffee. "What? First who is Gandalf? And secondly, what are you talking about?"

He pointed out the gruffy looking man with a small beard and a perpetual frown on his face. She recognized him from last night, he was one who came back with Wolf. "I'm talking about the fact that Wolf found a way to let you go without any agent of the Master tracking you. I don't know the details, because I didn't hear it all but the conversation seemed very serious. But I know if she said she can do it, then she’ll get it done."

"Let Martha breath, will you? Go to see the nurse, she needs help with the younger one," Wolf gently admonished Apollo as she approached, and handed Martha a cup of something that could pass as coffee, if you were not too picky, in her hand. Martha gave her host a thankful smile and drank it after blowing on the liquid. Anyone else would have raised an eyebrow at it. But eating and drinking ‘strange’ things on her travels with the Doctor, combined with her body growing accustomed to drawing every ounce of caffeine from all beverages made a difference.

Once Apollo disappeared, with a long sigh and a visible pout, Wolf started to laugh. She took a seat next to the other woman and smiled.

"Sorry I think he may have a tiny crush," Martha groaned, now a little more awake.

Wolf shrugged. "You made quite an impression on him. But as he just mentioned, we found a way to let you go to London in the most secure way possible. One of my men heard that a doctor from the next town over is trying to go back to London, just like you are. He is expected to start out tomorrow, so I'm going to have him escort you until it’s time for you to part ways, and during that time me and my men are going to make a diversion. It will let you guys get at least two hours into your journey without any trouble. We will try our best, but I don't know if we can do better."

Martha frowned. "Wait, I don't want you to sacrifice yourself. I need people like you in this world. I can't let you die just to have a couple of hours!"

Wolf smiled fondly. "Oh Martha Jones! You are worth ten of me. You're saving the Doctor and the world. I would gladly die a few times over for that. Believe me." She looked suddenly way older. "Just...In case I don't came back, tell… No that would be pointless." But before the other woman had time to say something, she was already up. "I need to coordinate my men. See you later." She quickly waved and then she was gone.

Marth tried to stop her, but without success. And despise her effort to seek her out later, she only saw her once that day. Wolf was talking to the one named Gandalf when suddenly she clutched her head into her hands. Before Martha had time to move, Wolf had disappeared outside. She tried to track her down but nobody let her follow her. Even after a lot of fuss.

It's with frustration she approached Apollo and the other kids after that. They kept her busy, and she gladly helped the elders who were trying to do as much as possible with almost nothing. They might have been former UNIT doctors and nurses, but without supplies and possibilities to go out, they seemed to make do. But Martha was nothing but stubborn, with plenty of hope too. The fact that she knew the end of this hell was near helped a lot. So, she worked for hours, almost forgetting Wolf and her disappearance.

It was during dinner that thing started to change. A little boy, who was not much older than six, asked her timidly if she had other stories in hand. She remembered him from last night, he was the one who squealed loudly when she started telling her story about Shakespeare. And when she lifted her head, she saw a lot of people who were visibly eager to hear more stories. But they were also something more. Something who looked a lot like hope.

It was during her third story; the one when the Doctor had slipped and fall into the Sacred river of TellSom, and they had to run to the TARDIS because they suddenly had furious natives on their heels that she noticed Wolf. She was in the back of the crowd, but she was visibly listening. And she was smiling, seemingly normal again. Not the smile full of sadness, and longing that she occasionally sported since they came into this warehouse. No, this was a genuine one. And when she started to tell how the Doctor had to give his trousers to the locals to appease them, she saw her laughing. A laugh that exuded real joy and better times. And in that instant she was not a soldier or a mystery, just an everyday person. Who visibly had way too much fun at the expense of the Doctor. Like she knew what Martha had to endure. So, Martha laughed too, happy to have a good laugh in these dark times.

xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx

"Ok so in less than one hour, you and Dickens are going to go this way" Wolf pointed to the path on the map. "At the same time, Gandalf’s group are going to wreck havoc into the village, letting the Master think they are going to search for supplies. Me and my group are going in the opposite direction and attack one of the factories. In forty five minutes, Simba and his two mates are going to create a third diversion in another warehouse, letting them believe it was for that all along. And the civilians… Well, they know what they have to do when the time is right. Clear?" For the first time since the beginning of the speech, Wolf looked Martha in the eyes.

Martha wanted to say no, she wanted to fight Wolf and her apparent death wish. Maybe it was for the greater good: the end of the Master. But that were too many good man and women who could possibly die, because she told them that maybe hope was on the way. And Wolf was someone she needed in this new World if she failed to do exactly what the Doctor asked her to do in order to fix what the Master did.

Even if the Master died, the Earth would still be in shambles. But she saw the fierce determination in Wolf’s eyes and the craving to do what is good. Too much like the Doctor now that Martha thought about it. So she said nothing, only nodding in agreement when necessary. Because today she was like her best friend, and if she had to choose between these people and the world, the world would win. Especially when she wanted to choose these people. But Wolf and her men would never let her choose anything but the greater good.

What she would give to go back in time when things were easier. Yes, she knew the irony of that statement. She gave a sigh while giving a last look at Wolf, who was now busy giving instruction to everyone. Sometimes doing the right thing sucked.

Saying goodbye was always hard, and today was no exception. She knew she had to leave them, she had a specific mission to do, and people to see. But it was not something simple, saying goodbye with no way to know if they are going to survive another day. It had been really hard for Apollo, who revealed to her that his real name was Jamie. She promised him that she’d do everything in her power to come back one day, as long as he promised her that he was going to survive. Tears and hugs were exchanged, and he was not the only one to be missing her already. People young and old had woken early to be able to say goodbye, while passing on their thanks for her stories. Martha had felt relief in their solid belief, and it was with a big smile on her face, and a melancholy in her heart, that she followed Wolf and her men outside the camp.

Wolf passed her the map and a bag full of things. "Are you ready to go?"

"Yes I think so," Martha lied, she was not ready to go deep down. She was weary of all this.

Wolf had a small smile. "Ok good. Did UNIT did tell you about the son of the professor?"

"Oh yes! They’ve had this information for almost a month. It is still the case?" Martha asked.

"Don't worry, if this information was no longer relevant I would had found out. Don't be worried" She smiled at Martha. "I gave you a copy of the CD UNIT was supposed to give you. I was not certain if they had it."

She took out of her pocket the CD she carried since Munich and show it to Wolf. "Yes. Don't worry. I know what I'm doing."

Wolf smirked at that. "Oh, I'm certain of that, don't worry. I think that nobody is better suited than you."

"Sometimes I feel like you know more than you let me think. It's aggravating. And frankly it reminds me of the Doctor. You should be proud."

The smile dropped a little. "It’s time for you to get going. The Doctor you will meet is named Tom Mulligan. We’ve already informed him that you are coming. If you have any problem on arrival, tell him that the pack sent you. In case he's already gone or any other problem, go to the village and tell them that Wolf said you needed a transport, and that you are the storyteller."

"So this is goodbye?" Martha tried hard to hide the sadness in her tone.

Wolf had a big smile. "I like you, Martha Jones, I really hope it's not the last time I see you! It's more of a see you later, ok?"

"Ok. I promise when all this is over, I will come back." Martha promised with a smile.

"I would love that. Really." Wolf replied also with a smile.

"I’ll hold you to that. Now you have to survive." Martha laid her hand on Wolf’s shoulder. "Don't forget, think of the Doctor and have faith."

Wolf looked into the sky - her face somber. "That's two things I will never forget to do. Believe me." She looked into Martha eyes again. "And you, Martha Jones… Don't forget that you are a star. One in a million. Promise me you will never stop being wonderful."

Martha laughed. "If you can promise me the same!"

Wolf shared her joy for a few moment before going somber again. "For the first time in my life I can say that I don't know what will happen next. But one thing is certain, I'm going to send you to London and you are going to save the Doctor and the world. Ok?"

"I promise." Martha glanced at the group of soldier with a frown. "Wait...Why did don't you have a big gun like the rest of the group?"

Wolf smiled enigmatically. "A magician never reveal their secrets. But what I can say is that I have a few things in my sleeve. And I'm not the only one displeased with what the Master has done. Goodbye Martha. See you!" She hugged Martha suddenly, causing her to gasp in shock. But before she had time to hug back, Wolf was already moving away. "Alright, let’s set off some fireworks, boys!" She smiled again in direction of Martha, a fierce look into her eyes. "Let's cause a diversion they will never forget!" With a last wave she disappeared into the labyrinth of warehouse, followed by all the soldiers except the one was supposed to lead her into the right direction,before causing a distraction himself.

"Time to move, Doctor Jones," said the young boy, looking with nervously behind him. "All hell will break loose in a few minutes, so we need to be long gone."

"She’s that good?" Martha laughed lightly, still looking towards the direction where the group had headed.

"No. She is better."

Martha had more questions, but the man had already moved away, leading her towards the end of her adventure. But she would never forget the enigmatic Wolf and all the questions she wanted to ask her. When the Doctor was saved, and the Master put into the ground once and for all, Martha vowed to return for all of them.

But Martha never had the chance to search for Wolf or the others except for a few of them. Between the year that never was, and all that happened after she had other things in mind.

Maybe one day.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Time to say goodbye to Martha (she was a lot of fun to write) and jump into what you were all waiting for: Rose's adventures!


	4. Chapter 4

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hello everyone! New chapter! And oh my god this one kicked my ass! I think I had to start over something like 7 times. I almost cried lol. But I finally finished it. Hope you will like it. Again, thanks for reading, let me know if you’re enjoying the story! And as always, a million thanks for my beta, Penandpaper83 (who was a life saver on this one).

**Chapter** **4:**

 

The reign of terror of the Master disappeared from memory, making him a passing dream in some minds, becoming ‘the year that never was’ for the few in confidence. Martha returned to her studies and family, never forgetting those who helped her during the darkest moment of that forgotten history. 

In fact… Everyone continued their life, never knowing how they fought for their life and freedom in the name of the Doctor. 

Rose smiled proudly the day she heard that Martha had been recruited by UNIT.  Every person who had become a companion of the Doctor had the potential to achieve greatness; it’s usually what draws him towards someone as a potential companion. And Martha was no exception to that rule. However, Rose didn’t knew it was her own actions, and the bravery of so many UNIT men and women, that was a major factor in Martha’s inspiration to join this institution.

Sometimes, Rose would sit and think about how she would enjoy to talk to Martha about her time on the Tardis. To know how the Doctor has been doing, to hear about his latest adventures. But those ideas do not last long, just enough to yearn about that life again, before running head first again into action.

Little did she knew that day would come way sooner than later…

 

xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx

 

Rose was an happy camper for once. She had asked to be assigned to the Valiant for a few weeks, yearning for a change of scenery and to discuss science with people who weren’t going to roll their eyes after a few moments. She really needed the break after a string of missions which became harder and harder, and what better than the only place in UNIT who was filled to the brim of scientific and people eager to share everything they knew? Even the science department of London UNIT was less enthusiastic than them (and they have Dr. Malcolm Taylor).

“We’re working on improve our engines. We recovered a few spaceships in the last ten years, and if we can understand and reverse engineering some of them, maybe in a few years we are going to be able to travel into the stars!” One of the engineers named Liam Scott had enthused as soon as he saw Rose.  She had been seized as soon as she had set foot in the engine room. Everyone who knew her, or about her, knew how she loved to talk or listen about science with anyone.

Rose smiled. “So the problem at hand is understanding what we have right in front of us. And if I read the department memos from last year correctly, we are still stalled somehow.”

The look of pure joy he gave her made her almost laugh out loud. That what she missed sometimes, the simplicity and the delight. It was a refreshing change from past experiences.  It always came onto her shoulders when push came to shove.  And while she was glad to do her part, it grew tiresome to be the only one expected to make a decision around here.

He opened his mouth to reply, but the speaker cut him off. “Colonel Wolfe is urgently requested on bridge. I repeat, Colonel Wolfe is urgently requested on bridge! 

She rolled her eyes with a chuckle. “I seriously can’t have five minutes.” She smiled at Liam before departing. “I will try to come back later to finish our discussion.”

It didn’t take Rose long to reach the bridge. “What is wrong?” She approached the second in command of the Valiant, Sergeant Azarmov.

“We are receiving a very strange reading from our people on the ground. At first I was thinking it was probably an issue with our radar, and asked Private Hillman to check in with London.  But it’s not just a problem with the Valiant, but it’s worldwide!” Azarmov explained, not bothering to mask the extreme anxiousness in her voice.

Rose frowned at the news. “Show me.”

Hillman waved her over, and pointed at one of the multiple screens around him. “Screen two has the results.”

Rose squinted at the multiple numbers and lines that scrolled without interruption. “Wait, am I reading this correctly?”

Azarmov nodded as she stood behind the two. “I’m afraid so ma’am.”

“How can our atmosphere suddenly became poisonous?” Rose turned around. “Has UNIT sent any information in the last 24 hours on anything that could point to the culprit?” Normally, she would had been contacted on her mobile if something really catastrophic had happened. But of course, she had asked for a sort of downtime (first in almost four years - so she definitely was entitled to it) after two months of continuous hellish missions. So, now that she thought about it, It was most likely they hadn’t bothered her with this until it got to this level.

One of the men raised his hand. “We have a report from Colonel Mace from today 0100 GMT stating they were investigating the ATMOS incident…”

“Yes, the suspicious manner in which 52 people all died at exactly the same time. I read the memo.” Rose answered impatiently. “But how does this related to our atmosphere being dangerous for people down there?”

“Just they are entering the ATMOS factory and starting operation blue sky. No communication since 0800 GMT. 

Rose raised her eyebrow. “Operation blue sky? Someone want to tell me what that is?” One week on downtime and she was already out of the loop.

“It’s one of...” Someone had begun to explain before Hillman frantically interrupted with, “Atmosphere saturation at 38%, and it’s rising again!”

“Okay, everybody stay calm,” Rose commanded and turned to the first person she saw. “You’re Private Vasquez right? Call Geneva, request a status update, and then ask why the Valiant was not informed.” She then turned to another soldier. “Call Colonel Mace, I need to know what is exactly happening on the ground.” When the soldier acknowledged his task, Rose let out a small sigh. The holiday was officially over.

While everyone were furiously working at their stations, Rose took a second to send a message to the people she had worked with, asking about what they knew about the situation. But unfortunately they were as much in the dark as she was. Something that she did not like. As that almost always meant the situation had come out of nowhere and they had either missed the warning signs or whoever was behind this was an ace at stealth.  Both were never a good thing, as one would involve competency questions from higher up, and the other was just really bad news

“45% now and rising!” Tillman called out.

Rose put a hand on her forehead. “That's not good. Not good at all...That's rising too quickly...” She mumbled to herself, before realizing that Vasquez was looking at her with a sort of anxious yet concerned look. “What did Geneva say?”

Vasquez rolled her eyes. “They put us on hold." 

Rose wasn’t expecting that. “What? Why?”

“They said that the Valiant was not top priority right now, and that we could hold or be called back later. The United Nations is holding an emergency session.”

“Fine. We’ll have to get by without them.” She scowled then turned to Azarmov. “Did any of our scanners pick up anything abnormal around the Earth? Any spaceships? A weird light, perhaps?”

Azarmov lifted his chin, already pulling up a few communications logs. “Our men are looking at it right now. We’ve also asked the other Unit bases to report their findings.”

“Level rising at 50%! “ Interrupted Private Hillman, his eyes glued to the screen.

“50%? Do we even any idea what is in that fog? And where on earth he is coming from?” Rose tugged at her hair before calling over to someone, “Has anyone been able to reach Colonel Mace?”

“Channel two, Colonel!” said one of the technicians.

“Finally! Maybe I’ll get some bloody answers now…” she muttered while crossing her arms. “Ok! Onto the big screen now!”

Colonel Mace’s head and shoulders appeared before them. “Trap One for big Hawk! You wanted to speak with me?”

“Colonel Wolfe, acting command of the Valiant.” Rose watched him blink a few times while processing her words. Like every high rank officer of UNIT, he that when Wolfe was brought into the situation, that it was extremely serious.

And that didn’t always apply just for their enemies.

“I'm going to be brief, Colonel Mace. With the situation at hand, we don't have the time to run around blindly. What is happening down there? Is this connected to your investigation on ATMOS?” She looked at him very seriously, waiting for answers.

“Yes, it involves ATMOS,” Mace admitted, “but we don’t have a clear answer as to what is the cause of the problem. But, we strongly suspect that it’s alien, and originated in all ATMOS devices. We’ve passed a message for people to stay away from their cars.”

Rose shouted a very nasty curse, making the Sergeant beside her look at her in surprise. “Are you sure? Because do you know how many cars have ATMOS on it?”

“Yes, we’re sure!” Mace nodded, pleased with himself that it was his people who discovered not only the origin of the devices, but their inner workings. “It’s good you called me,  I was just about to contact you. We require the Valiant as back up. We're sending in a fresh batch of soldiers right now, and we are probably going to need you to clear the frog from the area. And be ready to shoot on my command. We need to be prepared on all front.”

Rose had stopped listening after the revelation that ATMOS was responsible, and that they clearly had no idea on what to do. She was now too busy tinkering with something on her wrist. “Colonel, I need your coordinates.  I’m coming down. I will be more helpful on the ground than up here.”

Mace looked affronted. “Colonel, we have the situation completely covered! And you are well aware that your machine is not that good! You yourself have said that you don’t know if it’s still working!”

“Yeah, I know this thing is dodgy at the best of time, but it’s not the time to discuss semantics! The Valiant will remain completely functional under Sergeant Azarmov.  You however obviously need help on the ground.”

“I’m the head of UNIT England, you can’t just--” Mace sputtered as his face grew red with frustration.

Rose interrupted him with a scowl. “Mace. Don’t make me pull seniority on you. Remember that I’m not Brigadier only because I refused the promotion.” She clenched her hands, wishing for the ability to smack him through the screen. “Right now is not the time. So, if you have a problem with my decision, then you can still file a grievance with Geneva or the prime minister. But only after I’ve saved your sorry arse. Am I clear?”

“But the D…” He tried to start again.

“For Pete’s sake, Colonel!” Rose’s eyes flashed and she looked so angry that the men besides her took a cautious step back. “The whole world is choking! Do you really want to debate on who has the biggest toy?”

With a resigned sigh, Mace transmitted the coordinates of the mobile HQ, and waited for the her to show up. Wolfe was one of the most mysterious agents of UNIT, and probably the very best they had in the years since the Doctor was about.

Speaking of the rather frustrating alien… He took a moment to consider the potential of them crossing paths, wondering if he could survive a meet up between the her and the Doctor (who easily proved that he could be just as hard headed).

Rose was still typing on her machine, which looked a cross between a steampunk watch and intricate bracelet. “Right, so in fifteen seconds I'm going to move down to the ground. Stand by and wait for my signal or for Colonel Mace to make a move. Am I clear?” she commanded, not even looking back over her shoulder. She knew her crew well enough to know they would obey her order.

Sergeant Rinkins, who had been with the Colonel for the week nodded his understanding. Like almost all UNIT agents, he knew the legend of Colonel Marion Wolfe. It said she was with UNIT since its creation, and that she even had superpowers. She was the wild card when everything was supposed lost. And he didn't want to be the one to contradict her. “Crystal clear, ma’am.”

She looked at him for the first time since the beginning of this situation and smiled. “You’re going far Rinkins. See you later.” And in a flash, she was gone.


	5. Chapter 5

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I'm back! So this chapter is longer than the last one because I visibly don't know where to stop lol I hope you will enjoy it. Please tell me what you think of it, because it was an hard one for me and I really want to be sure I made it justice. Like always a million thanks to penandpaper83, my beta, who is an angel!

**Chapter 5:**

A few seconds later, in a blinding flash, she reappeared in front a very surprised soldier, who didn’t even had time to point his weapon before she presented her credential. “Colonel Wolfe. I’m coming from the Valiant. I need to know where Colonel Mace is.”

Still totally stunned by what he just saw, the soldier just pointed in direction of the UNIT field base. Rose thanked him and marched with a resolute step into the secured space.

“Okay, I'm here. What do we know exactly? And what is your next move? ” Rose said with determination, her sudden appearance clearly surprising a few of the people. A few people even looked at her in surprise at the fact that the Colonel Wolfe was there. Some of them tried to salute, but she stopped them with an annoyed look.

Mace sighed irritably. “Wolfe, like I said...”

Rose growled, making a lot of them nervous. She was clearly totally over the lack of information. “Don’t push me, Mace. What. Is. Happening.”

A few people started whispering among themselves, they knew Rose was high rank, but they didn’t know that she was that high of a rank. Mace throwed them a black look before replying, “It’s ATMOS. We think it’s alien, but we don’t have total confirmation. I sent a group of soldiers into the factory to secure the area. We are waiting for advice from our expert but meanwhile we are sitting ducks. Satisfied?” His tone clearly displeased with the intrusion.

“Do we have any idea about what’s in that gas?” Rose asked. After a few seconds a woman gave her a clipboard. She thanked her, and looked at her distractedly before doing a double take. “Oh you’re Martha! Martha Jones, right?” She smiled.

The woman gave a somewhat forced smile. “Yes, that’s me. Do I know you?”

“No, no but I heard about you. You were the one to save us all during the year that never was. You were also traveling with the Doctor, right?”

“Yes, yes, she was,” said Mace impatiently as Martha stalked off, annoyed by all the small talk. “And like I’ve mentioned, we are waiting for him to report his findings. So, I’m sure you will be very helpful but...”

Rose blanched, the clipboard slipping from her fingers. “The Doctor? He’s here?”

Mace looked at her with curiosity. “Yes he is our expert. Who do you think operation blue sky was targeting? It’s not like we have a lot of allies and expert on alien technologies. Even you’ve had your limit.”

But Rose was not listening, she was too lost in her own head. She looked all around her with a frantic look. “I can’t be here. I need to go.”

“But Wolfe...” However, a sizzle on the radio made Mace pause to listen properly. “Greyhound 40 to Trap 1, I have just returned the Doctor to base safe and sound. Over.”

“Trap 1, received. Over.” He responded.

At the same time Martha came back with her phone on hand. “Sir, message from the Doctor. He says Code Red Sontaran.”

Mace cursed under his breath. “One moment.” He grabbed his radio. “All troops: Code Red Sontaran. Repeat: Code Red Sontaran.” He glanced at Rose, who was still, and pale as a ghost. “Well, you wanted in. Now you are! If you have any idea how to sort this mess, I’m all ears!”

Rose felt the familiar adrenaline begin to flood her body. She licked her lips, hoping that the idiot would heed her advice so that she could get out of here quickly. She wanted to be anywhere but here. “You said that you sent some troops into the factory? The Sontarans are a warrior race, and they will not resist to draw your people into a firefight!” She grabbed her weapon from her holster. "I'm going in. And don’t you dare tell the Doctor I was here!” And before they were able to say something, she was out of the UNIT field base. Less than a minute after her departure it was the Doctor’s turn to rush inside.

“Right then, here I am. Whatever you do, Colonel Mace, do not engage the Sontarans in battle. There is nothing they like better than a war. Just leave this to me.”

Captain Price rolled her eyes. “She goes out. He goes in. Seriously... This place is worst than a vaudeville act!”

The Doctor spun around, and looked at her confused. “What?”

Mace interrupted him, diverting his attention again. “And what is your plan for dealing with this problem?”

xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx

It was a very determined Rose who caught a slightly stunned Jenkins. “You. Are you the one in charge down here?”

He saluted, a little unsure about what’s happening. “Just for my unit, yes. But my orders are coming from Colonel Mace. You want me to call him?”

"No, I'm good." She showed him her UNIT card. “Colonel Marion Wolfe. I'm taking over the command here.” The men made themselves all stand at attention, annoying Rose who was clearly not in the mood. “At ease, and don’t salute again, it's not necessary.” The men looked at each other confused.

“Sorry, Ma’am, but why are you here? I mean we are honored, but we’re only responsible for securing the building.”

She ignored his question. "How many soldiers here?"

He looked at the other men with a shrug. "I don't know. I think maybe 30 or 40."

Rose reached for her radio before realizing it was on the Valiant. She cursed softly. "Shit don't have mine." She looked at Ross. "Ok, I want you to spread the word that we’re on high alert. Nobody is patrolling alone, and if anyone sees anything suspicious they report and go back to base. We are up against Sontarans. They don't take prisoners, and they are a highly skilled warrior race. So we are playing on the safe side. Clear?" she commanded in the most serious tone that she had. Plus, anxiety was creeping it’s way in, with the Doctor nearby and the Sontaran, it was a recipe for disaster.

He nodded gravely. "As clear as possible, Ma'am."

She smirked. "Great." She turned to one of the men. "You, what's your name."

"Pri...Private Cahnahan Ma'am," he stuttered, still surprised that Colonel Wolfe was addressing him directly.

Rose smiled widely. "Nice to meet you! You’re coming with me, and we are going to see further inside what's happening!" She turned to Jenkins. "Don't forget what I said." She turned back to Cahnahan. "Can I have your radio please?"

Ross nodded, already passing the message. "Greyhound Forty to all factory troops. Everyone on code Red. I repeat, everyone on code Red. If anything appears suspicious, report immediately and retreat. Alpha Wolf order."

xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx

All of the radios began to crackle. "Greyhound Forty to all factory troops. Everyone on code Red. I repeat everyone on code Red. Report immediately if anything is out of place. Alpha Wolf order."

Mace sighed while listening. Of course she would take over and do whatever she wanted. Sometimes he wanted to scream in frustration. Between her and the Doctor, if he didn't have a heart attack by the end of the ordeal, he would consider himself lucky. He then turned to the operative besides Price. "Call NATO, we are starting operation Defcon One initiatives. We don't have any other choice."

"Right on it, sir!" the man replied and got to his mission.

"And what about the factory...?" Price asked uneasily.

"Let the Colonel do whatever she wants, like she always does. If she prefers to prepare for imaginative objectives instead of saving the world then good for her. But I'm not going to be a coward." He puffed himself taller. "I'm going to do what is necessary."

"Green light from NATO, Colonel!"

"Great! Let's save the world!" Mace said with a smile.

The Doctor suddenly barreled in. Again. "Change of plan," he began while looking a little worried.

Mace smiled. "Good to have you fighting alongside us, Doctor."

xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx

"So Cahnahan, do you have a first name?" Rose asked her temporary partner as they passed the west corridor.

"Lee, Ma'am," he answered, his weapon firmly in hand. He waved to signal her that the corridor was clear. "I was named after my grandfather."

Rose opened a door to do a quick, yet thorough check before they moved on, reassured to not see anything resembling a Sontaran. It appeared to be all clear except for the two other teams they saw earlier in another hallway. "That's sweet. And have you've been with UNIT long?"

"It's gonna be a year in three weeks."

They continued their progression in silence for a few minutes, passing through doors and hallways without seeing anything. It was a little eerie to see so much empty space. It was not really reassuring to Rose, who was certain that some sort of trouble was brewing.

Sontarans were not reputed for a peaceful nature.

They were walking mostly in peace, except for the few orders that Rose gave here or there. But she noted how Lee looked at her with nervousness, obviously trying to ask something without having the courage. After two false starts, which Rose pretended to not notice, he finally managed to ask, "And you? How long have you been with UNIT? If I may ask."

She stopped her progression and looked at him, smiling. "Don't be shy, Lee. How about you ask me what you’ve really wanted to ask."

"It's true you've been with UNIT since its creation?" He asked with trepidation. He knew that he was one of the few that had the gut to ask the question that everyone wanted to ask.

"Well..." Rose started but was cut by a sudden frantic radio message that she recognized as Jenkin’s voice. "Sontarans within factory grounds. East corridor, grid six!"

She cursed. She knew that something will happen. She knew it. "Alpha Wolf One to all stations immediate retreat! I repeat immediate retreat! Everyone out !" She screamed into her radio, already moving rapidly to the south exit. A few teams were on her six, or already out, making her sigh with relief. She hoped that everyone had time to run out.

"Troop moving, I'm going to slow them down!" Jenkins said a few seconds later, making Rose and Cahnahan stop abruptly. "Jenkins, evacuate immediately! That’s an order!" She screamed again into her radio, making a desperate half turn, already running towards his direction. "Or I swear to god I will make your life a living hell!!" she lowered her radio and called over her shoulder for Lee to get out and make sure that everybody was following orders. Without another word, she started running faster.

Jenkin’s voice came through the radio again. "My weapon is not working! Tell the Doctor it's that cordolaine signal!" The shoot and sudden static that followed his last words made her blood run cold. It was too late for him. She wanted to scream and cry, but now was not the time. He gave his life to save others, and she will not let another soldier die for nothing.

She shoved her weapon hazardly in her back and started to search the ground, hoping to not come face to face with a Sontaran. But she was lucky and only found three soldiers, trying to run desperately to the exit.

"Colonel!" One of them shouted with relief that it was one of their own that they ran into. "They’ve taken the factory!"

"Yes, I know! You need to evacuate!" She pushed them in front of her, already hearing the heavy footing of the aliens. But she didn't have the time to say another word, her radio crackled again. "Alpha Wolf One report. Over!" came the extremely stressed voice of Colonel Mace.

xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx

The Doctor and Mace were arguing when the loudspeaker came to life again. "Sontarans within factory grounds. East corridor, grid six!" Jenkins called out over the the radio, almost immediately followed by another voice, just as frantic as the last one. "Alpha Wolf One to all stations immediate retreat! I repeat, immediate retreat! Everyone out!"

The Doctor looked startled by that voice. "Who is that? The second voice, who is she?" he demanded while looking at Mace, who tugged at his collar nervously.

"Why do you ask?" Mace replied as the exchange continued in the background.

The Doctor started to pace, occasionally looking at the speaker like it had the power to answer all of his questions. And as the exchange continued on the radio he suddenly turned around and stopped just a few centimeters short of Mace, who retreated under the surprise. Even the soldiers around were visibly uneased by the comportment of the Doctor. "Because it's probably the most important thing in the universe right now!" The glint in his eyes made the Colonel shiver.

Mace moved back a few steps. Uneasy and troubled by the direction the conversation was heading. "It's clearly not the time, Doctor, we have a planet to save!" he said with irritation.

But the Doctor was clearly not having it, looking more frazzled by the moment. Passing his hand through his hair again and again. Making the hair stick up every which way. A few soldiers started to look around, puzzled by exchange and who they were discussing. Even Price and Mace were starting to be worried about the well being of the Doctor.

"TELL ME!" the Doctor growled, furious at the lack of responses. He knew that voice belonged to Rose. He didn't know how that was possible, but he would have recognized it even in his sleep.

He would not let the universe separate them again. Even if he had to step into the factory himself and take her back into the Tardis where she belonged.

He started to move towards Mace, a determined look in his eyes. The oncoming storm was there, daring the man to deny what he knew. Thank god Donna was not here, she would have slapped him into oblivion, reminding him that there were more pressing issues at hand in this moment.

But the Colonel was clearly more brave than he would have think. "Greyhound 40 was talking about a cordolaine signal. What is it? There are too many lives at stake, not only my men, but the entire world! We need you, so don't make me arrest you, because that would be counterproductive," He threatened in a firm and clear voice, making the Doctor slightly back away, clearing the madness a little.

He looked around, feeling guilt as his comportment, seeing so many look of confusion made him realise that it was not only his life at stake, he was responsible for all of them. He sighed suddenly tired. He didn't mean to lose control like that. He finally turned his head to Price, who looked a little afraid of the sudden attention. "They need to stay as far away as possible from the Sontarans. Or they will all die."

"Alpha Wolf One report. Over," Mace said into the radio, before turning to the Doctor. "For your information her name is Colonel Marion Wolfe, and she is the commander of the Black Operation, and one of the finest soldier UNIT ever had. She's been under my order for two years. Under Colonel Chaudhry for three. She has special recommendations from Brigadier General Lethbridge. I can go on and on if you’d like to continue to waste time! Do you also want her medical records, or are you going to start to question the credentials of all my men?" Mace’s tone was tight while glaring at the Doctor, all while being aware that they had an audience. Everyone around them had been waiting for things to come to a head between the Colonel and this Doctor, and they were not disappointed.

Mace was waiting for the Doctor to make some sort of retort, but to his surprise the Doctor only sighed and slumped his shoulders before turning around. The man looked like the life was squeezed out of him, which puzzled the colonel to no end. But Mace was brought out of his thoughts by his radio which crackled to life again.

xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx

"They have taken the factory! A few of us got out, but I don't know how many soldiers are still in there!" Rose reported while gripping her radio. She was able to get out with the few soldiers that crossed her path, but the Sontarans made it impossible to come back looking for other survivors. Not without any functioning weapons at the very least.

"Get to the industrial estate and stay on standby. Don't try to engage, we are trying to find a plan to get around the signal Greyhound 40 talked about. Trap one over."

"Wouldn't dream of it..." She murmured as she helped a wounded soldier to climb into an ambulance. She looked around and saw Cahnahan a few meters away, talking to another soldier who was visibly shaken while flagging down a medic. But he rapidly vanished into the crowd, as she looked at the wounded and the dwindling amount of soldiers before her. The Sontarans had been ruthless in their pursuit. She taken a few seconds to herself, giving a brief thought to those who had fallen, before she put herself together and went back to concentrating on keeping charge of the situation.

After a handful of minutes, way too long for Rose, a message came from Mace made them all finally smile. They had a breakthrough! They finally had a plan and a way to fight back against the Sontarans. They were back on track. Rose was not a violent person, she clearly preferred to talk and do science than shooting at someone. But she was more than ready to do an exception for the Sontaran. Shoot now, talk later. She smiled into her gas mask and started to ready her troops.

Almost an half an hour later, as she was passing the last of the new weapons, she was surprised by the voice of the Colonel Mace. "Attention, all troops," he called out with a proud tone, causing everyone to stop and give their attention.

Rose almost jumped out of her skin upon noticing the Doctor standing beside him, and in her own opinion, looking way too amused for someone sporting a gas mask in this situation. She started to back away, making a beeline in direction of the majority of the troops, putting as much space between herself, and the Doctor. She quickly hid behind a few soldiers taller than her, making sure to be not seen by anyone important. She didn't want him to see her, she wasn’t ready. Too much time has passed since they parted ways, and she knew that she will fall hard again if she went off with him again. She couldn’t survive another heartbreak. It was way too hard and she was not strong enough.

Not after what she survived.

"The Sontarans might think of us as primitive," continued Mace, not aware of the turnabout on Rose’s part. "As does every passing species with an axe to grind. They make a mockery of our weapons, our soldiers, our ideals. But no more!" he exclaimed.

Rose smiled at that. She did not always see eye to eye with the Colonel, but she could not deny that he was one hell of a motivator.

"From this point on, it stops. From this point on, the people of Earth fight back, and we show them our strength. We show the warriors of Sontar what the human race can do. Trap One to Hawk Major. Go, go, go!"

A few seconds later the Valiant made itself known with the whir of engines that powered the giant propellor blades that began to clear the area of fog. She smiled and removed her mask, happy to be able to breathe again. She turned to a soldier who was just as happy as her at being able to see and breathe correctly and smiled wickedly. "Ready to make history?"

He charged his weapon in one swift movement and smirked. "Like nobody before."

Rose looked in the direction of Mace, waiting for his signal to the Valliant. And as she heard the words, she turned to her men. They were all geared up for the battle, weapons in hand and fire in their eyes just waiting for orders. She smiled. She was proud to serve with these people, all ready to die if that meant Earth would be safe. It would not be something she would ever forget. And with that though in head, she yelled as everyone else was, "Let's show the Sontar how it's done one Earth!"

And just has she finished her sentence, a giant green beam exploded a part of the factory wall, bathing them all in light and smoke. Immediately after, she saw the loading bay doors get blow up. She heard a few soldiers whooping with joy before running head first into combat. She smirked. It was now or never. It was show time.

And with a fierce look and her weapon firmly in hand, she charged into the heat of the battle. More soldiers directly behind her. The Wolf was at the door and she was ready to howl. Bullets were flying everywhere, hitting body after body, mixing all into a cacophony of sound and blood. Soldiers starting to enter the factory at all openings, pushing the Sontarans back as they began to gain ground.

Rose was having the time of her life. Opening fire without hesitation, muscle memory coming to life and making her feet move in a way that one would swear that she was dancing. Shouting the occasional order between rounds of shooting, darting behind cabinets and rumble with a wolfish smile on her face. Sontarans were falling left and right around her.

They didn’t stand a chance.

She wanted to show then that the Earth was defended, even without the Doctor as protector. That the human race was born fighting, and she’d gladly step into the battlefield if necessary to do her part. She smiled at a man beside her and before he had time to blink, she shot at the Sontaran who had tried to line up a kill shot.

She gave him a wink. "You're welcome!" And without another world, she jumped over the rumble they were using as cover and knocked out a Sontaran before disappearing into the melee with a joyous cry. At that exact moment the soldier understood why Wolfe was considered as a legend in UNIT, because she was one you wanted on your side.

She was indomitable. Steel in her eyes, and death on her path. Determined to as many soldiers as possible went home at the end of the day. She spotted a Sontaran who was aiming his weapon at one of her fallen men. Without any hesitation, she slammed the butt of her gun into the vent at the base of it’s neck, causing him to drop like a sack of potatoes. She'd lost too many soldiers to be merciful. When she was younger, things would have been different. She would have tried to bargain, or at least found a different solution to the problem.

But she knew differently now. Rose was no longer a naive woman, but a hardened soldier who preferred peace, but understood that sometimes war was the only solution. She didn't wait to see if the Sontaran would get up again, instead holding out a hand to help her comrade to his feet. This one was one more person that would go home to their family tonight.

After she making sure the young man wasn’t in need of a medic, she ran back to the fight. By the end of the next round of heavy battle, she took out two more Sontarans and gained a few meters, rejoining a group of soldiers who were trying to gain access to a corridor leading to the north part of the factory.

They didn't have much success. It was heavily guarded by Sontarans, weapons drawn and ready to fire. Not one to resist a mystery, especially in combat with a bloodlust race, she opened fire without hesitation. Pure concentration was on her face, and frustration in her heart as she took cover behind a fallen wall. She screamed to the men and women besides her to keep firing, and that they were almost there.

If she heard to her radio correctly, there were a few groups of soldiers that were deep in the west and south corridors, and if she wasn’t mistaken, the Sontarans were getting a taste of their own medicine. She also knew that Mace had been able to get into the eastern portion of the factory. They were at the end, she knew it. They just had to hold on a little longer. With that determination in her mind, she reloaded her weapon and turned to the sergeant beside her. "Cover me. I will try to open a breach by the side," Rose said confidently.

"Already on your six, ma'am," the sergeant promised with a small nod.

“Great!” Rose enthused with a wink before stepping back out into the firefight.

Not even a moment after Rose shot down the last one, she heard her radio crackle. Even the loud speakers of the factory, those who survived the battle, were coming to life. The voice of Colonel Mace boomed and resonated all around them. Everyone stopped to listen for what they hoped was good news.

"The Sontaran commander who foolishly believed that he could take our planet without a fight is dead!"

A loud cheer, Rose included, broke out all around the factory. The Earth was not completely in the clear, not really, but it was a good start.

And maybe, just maybe, they could be safe.


	6. Chapter 6

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> And next chapter is out! Like always don't forget to tell me what you think of it. It really helps. A million thanks to my beta penandpaper83 who is an angel.

**Chapter 6:**

Rose and a team of few soldiers were deep in the factory, surrounded by leftovers of broken machine and corpses of Sontarans when their radio suddenly crackled to life. Making almost all of them jump in surprise.

"Trap One to all troops, the Earth has been saved! I repeat the Earth has been saved! Trap One over!" called the joyous voice of Colonel Mace. 

Rose felt the tension on her shoulders suddenly melting at the news. She knew what that meant: the Doctor had once again saved them all, swooping into action and being the hero. She smiled as her team cheered in happiness and even shared a few relieved hugs, chuckling at the sudden joyous atmosphere surrounding her men. But it was with a sad smile that she led them again into their mission. Because as she heard the different curious exclamations and silly reenactment. Everyone had their assumptions; even if almost all of them had the Doctor on the front of the action. She knew the truth. The Doctor didn't stick around for the clean up and the questions. He would have undoubtedly have already disappeared onto his next adventure.

Which deep down Rose knew was for the best. She wasn’t ready to see him, probably never would be. But, it still made her heart tighten for a moment in her chest the more she considered this decision. 

She suddenly smirked after noticing that Tygen, a private not more than 22, was trying to do his best impression of the Doctor being his impressive self. Making his comrades laugh more than anything else. She shook her head fondly. "Ok guys? Quite playing, let's go. Those aliens technology will not find themselves."

A few minutes later, as she was examining parts of what was a manufacturing machine before a few explosives turned it to scrap, she heard someone call her name. She turned and after a brief salute was offered, she nodded for the person to speak. 

"Colonel, you have to see this!" The concerned soldier waved her over.

Rose frowned. She handed the bit of metal to the soldier who was working along her, and stood while dusting off her trouser leg. She followed the woman, who looked a rather concerned. "What did you find?" She looked at the nametag on her uniform. "Corporal Felden?" She also noticed that they were walking along the other side of the corridor they tried to gain access to during the battle.

Felden looked uncomfortable the closer they got to their destination. "We remembered during the fight that corridor was more heavily guarded than the rest, so we thought it would be a good idea to start here. At first we didn't find anything out of place. I mean a few things that looked a bit off, like the rest of the factory, but not really something worth raising an alarm over. Then we remembered that we could access the basement by that stairwell." As they passed by said stairs, she pointed it out for Rose. "But when we started to search it… Well it was another story."

Rose raised an eyebrow. "And I suppose it was very alien?"

Felden made a face. "I’ll let you be the judge of that, ma'am." They passed a number of doors and soldiers, who all saluted as she passed. Rose nodded absently, as she looked more and more amazed by the strange machinery that she was able to see in passing.

The corporal grinned as Rose had the same curious expression that they all shared the first they came down here. "As you can see, we have stumbled into science department heaven."

That comment made Rose snort. She could not wait to see Taylor’s face when he got to see this stuff. And even she couldn’t wait to have a closer look. She smiled inwardly, as she knew where she would be passing the rest of her holiday.

"But that's not all. We found something else," Felden continued, clearly still focused on her mission. They passed an automatic door that was heavily guarded by their own soldiers. Making Rose frown again. This was not a good sign.

At first Rose didn't see anything, her brain too focused on the alien equipment around her. Already considering how it would fit UNIT’s use in the future, and how she could insert herself into the science department to be able to look at it from the inside. But then her eyes were drawn to the flurry of animation. A few soldiers and doctors were busy examining something on the floor. She made a few steps in their direction, before realizing with horror that it was the lifeless body of Martha that had everyone’s attention. 

She cursed loudly, drawing the attention of some of the people around her. She turned to Felden. "This is not good. Not good at all. We have to call Mace immediately!" If Martha was lying dead before them. Where was the Doctor? A frightening thought passed her, making her blood run cold. The Doctor could be in very big trouble, or injured, or worse dead. She couldn’t stay here and do nothing.

She started pacing, gripping her radio until her fingers turned white. "Alpha Wolf to Trap One. Please report on the Doctor." She waited a few seconds, and when no response came. "Alpha Wolf to Trap One. I repeat, please report on the Doctor!" 

Felden put her hand on her shoulder. "Ma'am, we don't have any signal here. That's why I came to get you."

"Ok, I'm going back upstairs. Don't move the body until then. Nobody who not already in this room can enter! And we need the scientific team asap! So if they are not already on the move, take a fire under their ass!" Without waiting for a response, she made a half turn and started to jog in direction of the flight of stairs. Rose knew that she was starting to lose her calm, knowing the Doctor could be in grave danger make her reckless. She knew that was not her job anymore, that she was not a companion, that she was probably only a memory somewhere. But he was still the Doctor...

As soon as she hit the last step, she grabbed her radio. "Alpha Wolf to Trap One, do you copy?"

"Trap One to Alpha Wolf. I copy. What's happening?" a response finally came, and Rose smiled, happy to hear Mace voice.

"I need the whereabouts of the Doctor urgently. Something came up." She said while still walking. She wanted to tell him about Martha face to face. Not over the radio if she could avoid it.

She had a few seconds of static before she heard Mace again. His voice less assured than before. "Right okay. One moment." She could hear him moving around in his search, and was in view of the mobile HQ when the Mace’s answer made her instantly stop in her tracks. "He has just left Doctor Jones in the East sector. Are we in danger? Do we need to call him again?" He inquired with just a touch of nervousness in his tone, but Rose was already taking the direction of the East sector.

"What do you mean he left Martha? Are you sure?" she asked in a strained voice. This was not good. Not good at all. It was the opposite of good!

"Uh yeah. I was just speaking with her on the phone. Why? Is there a problem?" His voice now took a confused tone.

She pulled out her gun and verified it was loaded. She would also have loved to take a few men with her, but she didn't have time to ask for them. "Yes that is a problem. We just found the body of Martha Jones in the basement of the factory. So how can Doctor Jones be in the East sector?" Before he could respond she continued, "Send me her coordinates. I'm not far from there. Just tell her not to move, and don't mention the body we found. If I don’t contact you in the next twenty minutes, send the cavalry. Alpha Wolf over."

She packed away her radio, and resumed her progress with determination. A few seconds later they finally came across Martha, who was still on the phone, probably with Mace. Rose frowned. Something didn't look right. And then a second later she realized that ‘Martha’ had the Doctor’s coat over her shoulders. The exact one which he almost never let out of his sight thanks to the sentimentality surrounding the garment. She could still remember the glee in his voice as he told her the story, almost like it was yesterday. “It was Janis Joplin’s coat, Rose! She offered it to me!”

And the fact that this so called Martha had it, it triggered alarms inside her head.

"Hands up! Disclose your identity!" Rose commanded with a clear voice, her gun ready to shoot at any sign of danger. 

As Martha turned around, her eyes wide and phone still in her hands, Rose noted with confusion that she was barefoot and dressed in a hospital gown under the Doctor's coat.

"I'll call you back, Colonel," said Martha with a distracted voice, also confused by the gun in front of her. She hung up and smiled, but was cut short by Rose who was still in full mode Colonel.

"State your identity and badge number. And how did you come across that coat?" Rose asked again with an icy voice.

Martha was visibly taken aback. "Doctor Martha Jones, UNIT, number 45873699. Who are you?"

Anyone else might have accepted that response and lowered their weapon. Rose however was still on edge while responding, "Colonel Marion Wolfe. Now, I’ll repeat my question once more. How did you come across that coat?"

Martha seemed to realize the situation she was in, and replied in a calm yet urgent tone, "I was abducted by the Sontarans. The Doctor found me in time to save my life, but I didn't have time to recover my clothes from my clone. So the Doctor--” 

Rose interrupted her to ask, "I'm sorry what? A clone?" 

"Yes, but I didn't have time to explain that to the Colonel Mace." Martha laughed a little awkwardly, realizing that taking a moment to pass that information could have prevented this confrontation, but stopped when she realized that Rose didn't move a muscle. "The Sontarans abducted me, and put a clone in my place. Apparently she was supposed to spy on us, and stop the nuclear launch, but then the Doctor figured it out. I know it's a little confusing, we didn't really have time to talk with all that was happening. Just that I'm the real Martha. I think you will find the clone on in the basement of the factory."

It started to make sense for Rose, but she was still not convinced. "We already found it."

"Well that explains your comportment," Martha grumbles more to herself than anything. Suddenly she looked at Rose and squinted her eyes for a second. She then recognized who this woman was, and her eyes widened almost comically. "Oh my god, it's you!"

Rose looked puzzled. "I'm sorry?"

"You're Wolf! THE Wolf! Oh my god! I so wanted to find you again, but I didn't knew your real name, and with you not remembering...!" Martha enthused with an excited bounce, but was cut off by Rose, still confused and closed off as ever. 

"Ok, slow down! Explain yourself, because I don’t understand anything that you’re talking about," Rose asked while lowering her gun a little at the same time.

"Oh right, you don't remember," said Martha after remembering that only a few people remembered what happened. "You saved my life during the year that never was. You sacrificed yourself to give me the time to go to London, and you helped me the best you could. I was very grateful. I really was! But you never gave me your name..." she trailed off with a small hint of sadness in her voice. 

Rose shook her head. She was here during the ‘Year that never was’? What was she on about? "I think we really need to talk, Martha Jones. I'm going to escort you to the Colonel, and confirm your version of events." She took out her radio. "Alpha Wolf to Trap One. We found Martha Jones. The Martha we found in the basement was a clone. I suggest we send a team of scientists to confirm what she just said." 

"Alpha Wolf, a team is on their way. Report as soon as you can. Over."

Rose gave Martha a stressed smile. "You heard the Colonel. Let's go Doctor Jones."

However, before they had time to walk more than a few feet, they were stopped by the most wonderful sound in the universe.

The TARDIS had just materialized before them.


	7. Chapter 7

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> And now the chapter you were all waiting for! Like always don't forget to tell me what you think of it. I'm really anxious about this one, I've been working on it for weeks!   
> Like always a million thanks to my beta penandpaper83 (she's perfect).

**Chapter 7:**

As the TARDIS began to slowly materialize, Rose felt panic and dread take possession of herself. This was not supposed to happen. She couldn't see the Doctor. Not today. Maybe not ever. Her weapon already forgotten, she took a step back. And then another one, until she was a few meters away, her heart beating wild in her chest. Alarms were screeching deafeningly in her head, screaming her to run as far as possible. Even her breath was starting to come short. Martha, who was too busy looking at the spaceship appearing, didn't seem to realize her predicament. 

But she had run out of time to hide herself. The TARDIS was there in all her magnificence. After all this time, it was time for her to face the music. After a few seconds, a century for Rose, the Doctor opened the door and stumbled out of the TARDIS. His face brightening when he saw Martha, who was just beside the door. 

"Martha Jones! Just the person I wanted to see! Hold on, why haven’t you changed into normal clothes?" he asked, frowning at the fact she was still barefoot and wearing that hospital gown under his coat. 

Martha started to reply with a large grin on her face. However, Rose didn't hear a sound with the thud of her heart pounding loudly in her head. Her entire being entirely focused on the man in front of her. If she was not as scared as she was right now, she could have cried.

She had dreamed about this moment a very long time ago. Hoping every day to see his face, telling herself it was just a bad dream that she will soon come out. But that day never came, and she had to make peace with it and move on. She started a new life, and with that came a path which lead her to a life that she could never have imagined when she was growing up in the estates. 

But now he was in front of her. Not more than a few meters away, still as beautiful as she remembered. If she was still the old Rose, she would have probably wept at the sign. But the old Rose was long gone and the only thing she wanted to do now was run far in the other direction. Because everything had changed. She had changed. Drastically. And she was not that sure that the Doctor would want that version of her on the TARDIS. 

She started to back away, after deciding that it was better to leave when he just happened to look her way, the ending of a laugh still on his lips. For a split second his gaze passed through her, as if she were simply a ghost, something that couldn't possibly be here. 

But then he did a double take, his face paling slightly. He put one foot forward but stumbled, stepping backwards instead into the TARDIS, as if his brain decided otherwise. Martha moved towards him, slightly confused as to the reason behind his stumble. Rose met his gaze and it was like coming home, their eyes not tearing from each other.

Later on, after the fact, she would swear that time had stopped during that moment. She didn't see Martha trying to get a response from the Doctor, nor the soldiers who were advancing on them, curious to see the famous Doctor outside of battle. She didn't even realize she dropped her radio, letting it bounce aimlessly on the ground. The world was suddenly two bottomless brown eyes. Filled with ice and fire, the burning of the stars themselves, overflowing with a grief and sorrow almost too bright to turn away. During those few seconds, it was like the universe itself held its breath. Reducing it to the Doctor and Rose, stuff of legends.

"Rose..." he murmured, his voice choking with emotion. 

And just like that, time resumed his course.

Rose gasped at his tone when he said her name. A sound she hadn’t heard for so long, she almost forgot it. Absently, she realized she could hear the world again around her. But she was rooted in place. "Doctor..." she whispered in a reply. As soon as those words left her lips, she swore she saw tears forming in his eyes as he realized she was not a product of his fatigued mind.

Martha squeaked in excitement as she witness the brief exchange. "Oh my god! You're Rose!" Her eyes were huge with amazement. "We found you. Oh my god!"

This made Rose turned her head to the young woman in surprise, easily breaking her gaze from the Doctor who, by the way, still had the the same look of shock that one could expect after being hit square in the stomach. She wasn’t expecting to hear that they were looking for her. "What do you mean? How do you know me?" she asked, puzzled by the fact that this stranger, who she knew had been the Doctor’s companion sometime after their separation, seemed to know her well enough.

Martha opened and closed her mouth a few times, trying to find the right words but failed. She looked at herself and seemed to finally realize she never changed into some proper clothes. "You know what? I’m going to run and change real quick. Don't move!" She turned to the Doctor who still looked at Rose like the world around them didn't exist. "Don't you even think of swanning off without me!" He nodded almost absently. She started to say something else, but after realizing that Rose was the only thing in the Doctor’s the focus right now, she quickly took her leave, telling the few remaining soldiers to follow her out of the field. Leaving Rose and the Doctor alone. 

Rose was still feeling paralyzed, her heart and mind still at war on what to do. A part of her, the one who still remembered the happiness of old days, wanted nothing more than to run into his arms and bury her head into the crook of his neck, to forget everything ever happened. But she couldn't. The past was just too painful and she had to remember she had a mission now. Responsibilities to the people who depended on her. Things happened in their past that could not be forgotten. But her heart in this moment was winning over her rational thought. She took a step forward, not really sure about what she was going to do, when he finally spoke.

"Rose. How?" he asked after a few seconds, the pain and hope in his voice so strong she almost cried then and there. 

Rose tried to play it natural and shrugged as if it were common fact. "I hitched a ride, and here I am." 

Her nonchalance at traveling across the void as if she merely caught a cab downtown threw him off for a moment. He moved from the TARDIS towards her, his voice betraying his shock and light fear, "But. But, it's impossible! Rose, those walls were sealed!" 

"You keep using that word. I do not think it means what you think it means." She smirked gently while quoting back their favorite movie, which made him almost smile. "As for the walls… Don't worry, it's safe. We were very careful. It's just..." She sighed, her fingers wiggling in anticipation as she considered the best way to explain her reasoning. "It was an emergency. We didn't have a choice. One by one, the stars were dying. One day they were there and the next...Nothing.” Rose paced as she wondered how he would react to the solution they had devised. “So, we built this machine. A cannon really, so that I could cross over and discover what’s was happening. And we realized that it wasn't just a problem for Pete's universe. It was happening in every universe, Doctor. The walls were weakening and their stars were going out too. And we became conscious that the point of origin was right here, in this universe. So my intention was to found you and solve the issue" She sighed. "But during the last jump, I somehow landed earlier than intended. Then my hopper burnt out for some reason, and I was stuck here. Ironic isn’t it? Stuck in my home universe again. So, time passed on and things changed." 

She wanted to tell him about the fear of not being adequate for the challenge, the misery of being suddenly totally alone in this universe, the dread to move in a world that forgot about her, the horrors she had to face. She wanted to tell him everything that happened since the last time she saw him. But before she could let her heart go wild, possibly ruining everything she was working for, he was in front of her, wrapping her into his arms. Hugging her like she was his lifeline. She didn't even hesitate and hugged him back fiercely and desperately, like she was afraid he would disappear at any moment. It would not be the first time.

"Oh Rose," he sighed in a hushed almost reverent voice, tightening his embrace a little more. Like he was trying to melt all their pains away with the sheer force of his mind. And for a while, he succeeded. She was Rose Tyler again, travelling the stars with the one brighter above all. The other part of her soul. 

She didn't know how long they stayed that way. In a peaceful state of grace where nothing could touch them. But of course, reality caught up in the form of a returning Martha Jones. 

"Oh good you're still there!" Martha said in a relieved voice. 

They broke apart at her voice, and Rose had the sudden urge to take a few steps back. She needed to regain herself and her thoughts. She saw the hurt in his eyes, and felt her heart clench but she needed to stay strong. Soon he would be gone and she would stay behind, and she was already too deep. 

"I still can't believe you're here! I’ve heard so much about you. 'Rose this'. 'Rose that'. It can give a woman a serious complex!" she joked with a smile. Rose turned to the Doctor with wide eyes, blinking a few times in shock. 

"You talked about me?" She was stunned. He never mentioned past companions. Ever.

The Doctor squirmed a bit, scrubbing his neck, deliberately not meeting her eyes. "I might have mentioned you once...Twenty times..." 

Martha snorted with a roll of her eyes. "Right. You are so full of..." But she was interrupted by the sound of her phone. "Oh excuse me!" She accepted the call, and swept a few feet away. "Martha Jones!"

They looked at each other awkwardly, the Doctor’s smile painful as he drank her in. This had to be some cruel trick of the universe - hiding her from him until this seemingly random moment. "I still can believe that you’re here," he said with amazement, his eyes going soft. "Look at you." He looked at her for a few seconds before taking her face with his hands, touching her forehead with his own. Breathing out a shaky, "Rose."

"I missed you, Doctor," she answered with tears in her voice. Her eyes fluttered close as she felt his fingers caressing her cheeks and temples. "I really missed you." She mirrored his actions, stroking his face with her hands. Trying to reassure herself that he was really here, and not a product of her broken spirit. It had been really hard for her all of these years, learning to live without him again. Like she couldn't breathe properly. It had taken a long time for her to be able to live without his ghost on her shoulder. She wondered how long it had been for him. 

She heard his smile in his voice. "I missed you too Rose. So much." He released her face, taking a step back to look at her in the eyes. "Like you wouldn't believe." They stood there for a few moments, staring at each other with what was undeniably stupid smiles on their lips. However, in addition to that, the Doctor had this determined look on his face. Like he was trying to make a decision on some long internal debate, and the romantic in her made her dream that he was mustering up the courage to kiss her. But the realist part of her, the one who knew this would be a bad idea caused her to panic internally. Which side would win out? Would she hold her ground and walk away? Or would she let herself be swept back into their old routine of mixed messages and adventure.

But they were interrupted by Martha who was hurrying back in.

"Sorry to interrupt" She grimaced. She had caught a fleeting sight of them standing close together, assumingly on the brink of reunion when Rose took the opportunity to jump back a few steps. Not noticing the Doctor display a brief look of grief in his eyes before going blank again. "That was Donna. She said she's ready to be picked up! And I quote: 'hurry up spaceman! Don't have all day!" 

The Doctor sighed and also took a step back, putting his hands into his pockets. They were almost there. He could feel it. He knew when Rose was deep in thought, and he had hoped that the heavy contemplation in her eyes was a sign that she was considering coming home. "Okay, everyone in the TARDIS." He pushed Martha, who laughed all the way to the door. "You're coming Rose?" he continued, a hopeful smile on his lips. He had a niggling feeling that he still had a chance. 

Rose took another step back. Her smile faltering. "I...I can't, Doctor. I have a mission now. I have a life." She closed her eyes and turned around. She could not face the Doctor, not without showing tears. She told herself again and again that it was for the best. For all of them. "I'm sorry but… I'm too different now." 

For a few seconds, an eternity for her, she heard nothing, only the sound of her own heartbreak. But just as her resolve was at its breaking point, and ready to let the old Rose take control and say screw it to everything, she heard the sound of a closing door. She bit back a sob, biting at her lip to not make a sound. She thought that if she was going to watch the TARDIS go, it's going to be with dignity and pride even if it killed her inside. It was with this notion in mind that she turned around, ready to say goodbye to the only man she ever loved more than life himself, and the home that she called her own for so long.

But she was shocked to see he was still here, looking at her with agonizing eyes, his hand on the closed door of the TARDIS.  At the moment she knew she was staying upright only by the sheer will of her own stubbornness.

"Rose,” his tone was pleading, and she wanted to cry. "I just… For one moment? Please?"

Rose shook her head. "Doctor, you know if I come into the TARDIS, it will be too hard to stay away," she replied. She was drained in almost every way right now. Physically because of the battle, and emotionally from coming face to face with the Doctor.

His shoulders slumped at that. The dejection on his face as he replied, "I just want to have a little more time. Because..." He briefly closed his eyes, visibly pained to say that. "But you’re right. It's your decision. I just want you to meet Donna and after that I will..." He looked away. "I will drop you off wherever you want."

Rose knew that she should say no. She should ask him to bring Donna to her if he wanted them to meet each other so bad. She knew it was a bad idea, probably the worst since her big incident with the Ice Warrior, even worse than her jumping universe to universe. Even her inner voice was screaming about repercussion. Possible reapers and therefore consequences worse than death.

But the look in his eyes. Those sad eyes that were full of hope, it make every resolve that she had break under the weight of the love that she still felt for him somewhere. Even if she’d never openly admit it. "Open the door," she said before she could change her mind. “I would love to meet Donna.”

The Doctor’s demeanor instantly changed. He straightened and the smile on his face was so bright and wide, that she saw his previous face for a split second. He opened the door of the TARDIS, and as she stepped inside for the first time in many years, she was welcomed by the most beautiful sound of the universe.

"She missed you," he murmured as he passed by her while looking to the ceiling with a fond smile. "She didn't hum so brightly after you..." His voice hitched. "Since you’ve been gone."

Rose walked to the console, passing a curious Martha casually leaning against a pillar. As she touched one of the panels, the column illuminated brightly for a second. "Oh, I’ve missed you too, beautiful," she said with a warm voice. "Has he been treating you right?" 

"Oh god, there are two of you now!" Martha scoffed. "If you start stroking her, I swear I'm leaving to search for Donna myself!"

"Don't listen to her, you're perfect!" continued the Doctor, suddenly appearing beside Rose. He patted the grating before doing his magic, moving the TARDIS up to the house of Donna.

Rose rejoined Martha, sitting down beside her. "She needs attention too, you know. I know he’s a little extreme" She snickered, remembering all the times she caught him caressing some part of the TARDIS. "Okay not in the magnitude of what the Doctor does, but some love from time to time doesn't hurt."

Martha huffed. "I know she's alive and all that, but she's still a machine. And if she didn't play with her lighting from time to time, or move the kitchen into one of the holo-rooms every two weeks, I still would be a little skeptical."

"You just have to listen to her. With time it becomes easier as she gets to trust you," Rose offered.

"What do you mean listen? To what?" Martha frowned.

But before she could reply the Doctor declared proudly they arrived, and the door to the TARDIS opened suddenly, admitting a very distressed redhead.

"Donna are you ok?" The Doctor looked at her in concern, moving rapidly around the console to approach his friend.

"Yes, yes it's nothing I swear." Donna began to smile, but then realized there was one more person than earlier. "Oh and who are you?" She turned to Martha with a raised eyebrow. But Martha could only smile like a cat who swallowed a canary. 

Rose stood with a smile. "Hello. I'm Rose. Rose Tyler. I used to travel with the Doctor. You're Donna right?"

Donna looked at her with astonishment for a few seconds, making Rose a little awkward, before she pulled her into the fiercest hug. Making Rose huff in surprise. But before she could do anything, Donna had released her and turned to the Doctor. "Why you didn't tell me you found her, you dumbo!" she exclaimed while hitting him on the shoulder, making him yelp with pain. "And you!" She turned to Martha. "A little warning could have been nice!" She looked again at Rose, smiling like she had won the lottery. "Oh my god, I'm so happy to see you! How did you find each other?"

In the background the Doctor, still rubbing his shoulder, peaked up at the question. He had been wondering the same earlier. "Oh yes! Why were you here by the way?" 

Donna groaned and covered her face when she heard him. "Oh my god! Sometimes I seriously wonder how you are still alive, Doctor."

"I work with UNIT," Rose replied as she crossed her arms over her chest. "I needed a job, and since I’m deceased in this universe, my job prospects are rather limited." 

The Doctor scratched the back of his neck at the reminder of the repercussions of the events at Canary Wharf. He didn’t know if it’d be right to say anything in response to that really. While Rose didn’t seem angry, he was sure that she didn’t need to reminder. 

Donna opened her mouth to reply. But before she could voice her thoughts, the door slammed shut on its own and the time rotor activated - throwing everyone around. 

The Doctor looked around in alarm. "What? What?!"

"Doctor, what's happening?" Rose asked while trying to hang onto one of the coral pillars.

"I don't know! I didn't touch anything! She's flying herself!" he said as he lost his footing and slipped while trying to access the console board.

"Where are we going?" Donna asked as she was practically launched from the chair. 

"I just said that I don't know. It's out of control!" the Doctor replied while pushing button after button without effect. This wasn’t good at all! He couldn’t figure out how this happened. What if she was malfunctioning? Or if someone found a way to control his ship.  But how though?

"Doctor you have to take me home!" shouted Martha, trying without much success to get up.

Rose nodded vigorously. "Make her turn around! Do something!" 

"I'm trying! I swear!" And without any other warning he started to whack the console with a hammer. However the only thing that came out of that was sparks and some new dings on the surface.

The TARDIS was out of control, and the Doctor had absolutely no way to regain it.


	8. Chapter 8

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Happy new year everyone! New year, new chapter! Like always don't forget to tell me what you think of it. Having feedback really help.  
> Like always a million thanks to my beta penandpaper83 who is an angel.

**Chapter 8:**  

"What the hell is it doing?" Donna screamed as she was tossed around, almost colliding with the ground only to be saved at the last second by Rose, who was just barely hanging onto one of the pillars with one hand. Martha, who was on the other side of the TARDIS, was in no better situation. She was currently on the ground, waiting for an opportunity to stand and move in a safer place, but without much success as the TARDIS was shaking everywhere. The only still upright was the Doctor, who was bouncing all around the place.

"I can’t seem to get control!" He said, with panic in his voice as he frantically hit and turned different levers and buttons on the console. Trying anything to make her fly right. But the TARDIS continued her frenetic course through the vortex. And at the surprise of the three other people, he suddenly lost his footing and yelped while disappearing out of view.

"Doctor!" Rose shouted while trying to make her way around to help him despite the turbulence. But before she made not even three steps, he was already standing and smiling with a jar in his hand.

"I don't know where we're going, but my old hand is very excited about it!" he said with great enthusiasm while still gripping the console. With a grin he showed the jar off, passing it in Donna’s direction who looked at him like he was barmy. She even tried to take a step back but was stopped by another violent trust of the TARDIS. Making her fall right into the captain’s chair. Rose, seeing her new friend being violently thrown about again, started to move in her direction. Before realizing with a start what was in the Doctor hand. "Whoa, hold on! Did you lose another hand?" she said stunned.

He scratched his ear, trying to put it down without dropping it. "No. It's the one that I lost during the Sycorax. You remember?" He was smiling and Rose couldn't do anything but smile too. How could she forget her first Christmas with this him?

Donna, who was clearly more than a little disgusted by the bubbling hand, decided to just not ask questions that she didn’t want answers to. She just huffed and gripped the chair, closed her eyes and muttered under her breath. Meanwhile Martha, finally upright and clutching the column with determination, looked at Rose with interest. "Oh you knew about that thing?"

Rose shrugged while still trying to stay upright. "I was there. But I have to confess, it was a little weird." She chuckled, remembering the Doctor being his impressive self in a pajama.

"You don't say, sunshine," Donna snarked from her seat with her eyes still closed. She even started to look green around the edge.

The Doctor scowled, but the TARDIS suddenly tilted backward, making sparks rain everywhere. Rose lost her grip and fell head first toward the nearest pillar, but was caught at the last second by Martha who was crouching besides her. She heard Donna scream loudly behind her, and she could not really blame her. The Doctor was the only one who by some miracle was still standing, looking around like it was nothing. And as sudden at it started, everything stopped. For a few seconds there was only silence. Martha and Rose exchanged a look, not really sure about what happened. As they were starting to stand up, looking around to be sure that the TARDIS will not start to move again, the Doctor smiled maniacally at them and made a mad dash in direction of the door before disappearing outside.

"No wait, Doctor!" Rose called after him while trying to stand as quickly as possible while Martha was still dusting herself. But it was too late, the alien was now long gone. Probably already poking around and making a fool of himself. She turned towards the other women with a sigh. "Well I see that some things never change."

Martha smiled widely and with a cheeky wink to Rose, she followed the Doctor outside. She was soon followed by Donna, who rolled her eyes at the excitation showed by the young Doctor, leaving Rose completely alone in the TARDIS. She started to stroke the machine in passing, a fond smile on her face as she looked around. She had missed her so much. Almost as much as the Doctor. Because as much as she had loved the Doctor at the time, the TARDIS had been her home. And it had been hard to adjust without her and the gentle hum in her head. Especially at night. As she was starting to think about those difficult times, she received a warm response in return, making her smile bigger. "Don't worry girl, I'm okay now." She looked at the door still open and sighed. "You would think that after all this time they would learn..." And with determination, she finally decided to trail after them.

She got out of the TARDIS and started to walk in direction of the little group, catching the end of the discussion between the two other companions. "I thought you wanted to go home," Donna said to Martha who was smiling with excitement. She also realized that the Doctor was looking at the wall with interest. Poking it with his screwdriver like it contained the secret of the universe.

Martha was bouncing around, making Rose smile with amusement. That young woman was decidedly full of energy. She reminded her a little of Jake when they were off to whatever mission they had at the moment. "I know, but all the same, it's that feeling you get."

"Like you just got on a rollercoaster?" Rose offered as she joined them. She exchanged a found smile with Donna. At least she was not alone in her amusement.

As Martha opened her mouth to reply, a harsh male voice appeared out of nowhere, making all of them jump in surprise. "Don't move! Stay where you are! Drop your weapons." As they slowly turned around, they realized that three men armed with rifles had managed to catch them by surprise.

Rose didn't even think, she moved swiftly and placed herself in front of the group, diverting all the attention onto her person. It was all her fault, she scolded herself internally, how can she have not heard them coming? She was a colonel for god sake!

She briefly considered taking out her weapon, but the possibility of collateral damage was too high, and she could not endanger civilians like that. Before she could even begin to speak and find a better solution than fight for her life in a middle of a cavern, the Doctor jumped in front of her. Gesticulating to divert all the attention to himself. "We're unarmed. Look, no weapons. Never any weapons. We're safe."

Rose frowned, irate at the fact that the Doctor had taken the lead without even considering that maybe she knew what she was doing. Some things obviously never change.

But one the men had already caught sight of Rose, not paying attention to the thin and tall man in front of them, who was moving around wildly. He bumped his chief, who just spared a look in his direction to tell him that he was listening. Clearly he was not the only one not impressed by the clown. "This one looks like a soldier to me," he said with a nod in Rose’s direction. Who, after hearing his correct assumption, frowned as that could either be a good or a bad thing.

The man in charge squinted while evaluating Rose with a trained eye. This of course made Rose turn her complete attention to this man, watching his every move in case she needed to cause a diversion. The Doctor, who clearly disliked the sudden attention to his companion, stood tall and rigid in an attempt to intimidate as many people as possible, hoping it struck unease. Even Martha and Donna stepped closer, not pleased by the turn of situation. "You're right. But I don't see any marks on them," he sneered. "One of those pacifists hmm?" He turned around and motioned towards the machines. "Let’s not waste anymore time. Process them all. Her first."

As one of the men grabbed her arms, the Doctor moved to intervene; not realizing that Rose was more than capable of defending herself if needed. "Woah slow down, gentlemen! Can you explain first what is happening, because I think we have a misunderstanding here."

The only response he obtained was a rifle on his face and a sneer. "Move, boy before I start to shoot."

The Doctor looked offended. "Boy?! Excuse you? Where do you get off calling... " He then scoffed. “I’m probably older than your oldest living relative, and you call me a Boy?!”

"Oh my god," Rose muttered with an eyeroll, as she heard Donna snicker in the background. "Okay, everyone calm down before does or says something they’ll regret." She turned to the Doctor who was starting to look more and more like the oncoming storm. "Look they have three rifles, a target to shoot and not a strong sense of compassion so let me handle this before you get us all killed ok?"

"But Rose..." He cringed, not really liking where this was going. She was not supposed to put herself out there like that. He could regenerate if things went south, so naturally it should be him that puts himself at risk. He couldn’t risk losing her again when he was on the brink of any chance of reconciliation with her.

"I know what I'm doing." She said in her best 'Colonel Wolfe' voice. She turned to the man who still had his hands firmly on her arm. "Ok, let's go."

He nodded before leading her in the direction of the row of ancient machines that were against the wall of the tunnel. They didn't really have time to examine them when they arrived, as Rose let the Doctor looking at them when she had talked with Donna and Martha. She sighed as she heard a commotion behind her. She really hoped that the two girls were able to restrain him before he did something harsh. She was not fond of the idea to have to kill the three men just because the Doctor could not trust her more than five minutes. That's why she had to leave after that. They were not on the same page anymore. As they continued to move she heard Martha said something to the Doctor but she was too far to hear what.

The one in charge led her in the direction of one the machines that suddenly lit up. "Okay. Your hand into the machine. Now."

Rose looked at it suspiciously. "What is this supposed to do?" Like she would just put her hand into a weird machine without explanation. She was sure that the Doctor would have done just that, but that's probably why the man was on his tenth regeneration. She snorted silently to herself. Knowing him, he would have put his head inside just to see what was inside. But she needed more than a 'well do it', because she was not ready to do something rash right now. Not in front of the Doctor, his friends or this rather pushy group of soldiers.

The man pushed her with annoyance. "Like I said, everyone gets processed." He showed her his hand which had multiple marks. Proving that the process was not likely to be fatal. "And we don't have all day, so hurry up! We’ve still got to process your friends."

There was still a slight reluctance on Rose’s part (despite acting all tough moments ago) as she pushed her own arm into the machine. For a few seconds nothing happened except for a faint buzz. She started to think that perhaps the machine in question was probably broken, when she felt a brief but intense pain, making her yelp more in surprise than distress. As she grimaced at the soreness on the back of her hand, she heard a commotion behind her, guessing it was probably the Doctor making a show. But she was too focused on the machine to react.

"Is the machine taking a sample?" she asked the group who looked at her with a blank stare. Ok, not scientific. Noted. She started to turn to share her observation with the Doctor when she felt her arm being released from whatever was holding her arm in place, making her almost miss a step. Before she had time to move more than a few meters, Martha was beside her, soon followed by the Doctor.

"Are you alright? Any pain anywhere?" Martha asked while evaluating her arm and hand, while the Doctor was doing the same with the rest of her body.

Rose shook her head in reply. "I'm okay." She yanked her arm away when the Doctor batted Martha’s hand away from the arm to wave the sonic screwdriver over the skin. "Seriously, it's nothing. I think they just took a sample.”

"What for?" Donna asked as she came around to look at Rose’s hand.

Rose turned to the Doctor, curious to know what was his opinion on the subject when she realized that he was not looking at her. He was looking past her with a curious stare on his face. She turned around following his line of sight and was surprised to see that the pair of glass and metal doors besides the machine, which she presumed was a part of the engine, was starting to open. A mist of smoke rolled out beside the bright light from inside. Without even thinking Rose latched onto Martha and Donna, hoping that the Doctor had also followed, and retreated until they were besides a block of rock. "What do you think this is?" she asked them as the Doctor joined them, his attention still focused on the fog and lights.

"I really hope it's not a remake of Alien!" Donna offered half jokingly, which in turn made Martha snort with laughter.

The Doctor glowered, his concentration finally shifting to his companion. "Donna that's offensive! And...!" But was cut short by Rose seizing his arm, turning him with a shocked face. "Oh god look, something is coming out!"

Just as Rose finished her sentence, a human shape was starting to take form, becoming more visible as the mist was starting to fade away. She realized that this was most probably a man. A tall one even, almost as tall as the Doctor.

When the doors opened and the newly formed man finally stepped out of the device, she was so shocked that she had the sudden and strange impression to see an older Tony in soldier fatigue. She blinked a few times as the young blond man was handed a rifle and orders.

"Who is this guy?" asked Donna with curiosity, passing her head above Rose’s shoulder, who was still trying to wrap her head unto her vision.

"He came from Rose," the Doctor answered with an evident tone of shock. He moved closer to Rose, his hand on her shoulder in a reassuring gesture. He wasn’t sure what sort of reaction Rose would have, but if he could show support, then all the better for him.

"Come again?" said Martha with surprise, looking between the blond man and her new friend. Searching a sign of resemblance.

Rose’s eyebrows raised as high as they could possibly go at that. Did he read his mind to have a joke on her? "What? How he can come from me?"

The Doctor looked away, visibly uncomfortable. He started to take out his specs and scratching his neck in a vain tentative to gain time. But without result, as all the women were looking at him. "Technically that's your son Rose."

"How on earth is that even possible??" her tone was deep with shock. "I mean I remember basic biology. I only carry X chromosomes!" She turned to Martha. "How the hell could this happen?"

Martha looked at her helplessly, just as confused as Rose was. Rose looked at the man, the one supposed to be her child, who was checking his weapons with thoroughness. She could see some resemblance. He had the same blond hair that she did when she was young, and she was pretty sure that she had seen that same determined look on Tony enough times to recognize it from a mile away. But those similarities did not have to mean that this being was her son. The universe was big enough that some people were bound to look alike. The Doctor was mistaken. That had to be it, and she almost laughed aloud at the absurdity.

"Progenation," replied the Doctor, putting his glasses on his face, missing the distress emanating from Rose, who had begun to breathe with difficulty. "Reproduction from a single organism. Means one parent is biological mother and father. You take a sample of diploid cells, split them into haploids, then recombine them in a different arrangement and grow. Very quickly, apparently." He was in full mode Doctor, talking like it was a normal thing, like growing an adult son from an hand was something you saw every day. "And you know, Rose, the fact that you only have X chromosome is not really a problem. Everything is just a question of hormones, balance and all funny things like that. He would clearly not be the first man with two X chromosomes." He beamed in her direction, but his smile quickly dropped when he saw her alarmed face. "Rose I..." But she didn't let him finish, she turned and walked away in the opposite direction. Her head was spinning from this whole series of events.

"You primed to take orders? Ready to fight?" Asked one the man to her son, as she passed them. Now that she had done her duty, they were no longer interesting to the group for the time being.

The 'son' of Rose nodded. "Instant mental download of all strategic and military protocols, Sir. Generation five thousand soldier primed and in peak physical health. Yep, I'm ready." And he smiled in her direction. Throwing a wink for good measure. A smile that she knew intimately as she had saw him enough time in the mirror or on his little brother face. The Tyler smile.

"Oh god, he has my smile." Rose’s face was pale, and she honestly wasn’t expecting that; so no one could really blame her when she took a few steps back and bumped right into Donna.

"Are you okay?" the Doctor asked as he stood nearby, ready to help where asked.

"That's a stupid question, Spaceman." Donna sneered with a roll of her eyes. "Does she look alright to you?"

As Rose was starting to feel claustrophobic under that much scrutiny, she frowned as there was a sudden realization on her part. Something was not right. And she was certain that she just heard sounds that were not there a moment ago. A somewhat mechanical sound. She turned her head, only seeing Martha who was examining the machine from where the man came from.

"Something is coming!" her son called out, followed by the gruff voice of their leader, "It's the Hath! Everyone open fire!"

And just like that both sides opened fired on each other, noise reverberating from left to right. No one could exactly pinpoint exactly where the shooting was coming from thanks to the acoustics of the chamber. Rose crouched immediately, her training taking over. Without even thinking about it, she grabbed Donna and the Doctor, pushing them beside her. Trying her best to shield them with her body. She took out her weapon but realized that she had absolutely no idea who was the enemy in this situation, and she was not going to take a life without a really good reason.

"Everybody move! Take cover now!" she screamed, effortlessly reverting to her colonel persona. She urged everyone to move, pulling the Doctor back down as he started to stand up to probably intervene. She was rewarded by a wounded look, making her only roll her eyes. That man had clearly no sense of self preservation.

They eventually abandoned their hiding spot, running a few meters before she shoved the Doctor in direction of a pile of rocks that seemed safe enough. Just before jumping to safety he threw her a concerned look, a look that screamed 'we are going to talk about this'.

But she didn't have time to discuss her comportment. Right now she didn't have time to argue about what she became. She just wanted to save their live before they all went their separate ways. She saw him take out his sonic screwdriver before she lost sight of him as she pushed Donna under a makeshift barricade. The redhead started to argue but Rose was moving again, her weapon firmly in hand. She had realized that one of them was missing; as Martha was nowhere in sight and she needed to find her immediately.

She turned around widely, trying to see past the battle when she finally spotted Martha who had taken shelter beside a fallen rock deep in the Hath territory. As a bullet hissed past Rose’s head, she became well aware that Martha was way too close to the combat zone. Multiple Hath, or what she heard identified as Hath, were a close distance from Martha and she already saw at least three bullets hit the rocks surrounding Martha.

"I'm coming!" Rose called out while shooting in multiple directions, trying to scare off the aliens from her friends. "Martha, I'm coming!" Martha had finally realized the mess she was in, and she looked at Rose with wide eyes while trying to move without getting hit by a stray bullet. In an act of desperation, she darted to one of the rocks closer to Rose’s position, but she was stopped in her tracks by one of the Hath. It had presumed that she was one of the enemies and thus engaged in combat.

Rose started to run, determined to not lose anybody today, and especially not Martha. She had to take cover a few times, as Hath and what she presumed to be human were fighting left and right. Sounds were reverberating all around her, making difficult for her to advance. But, before she could reach her she fell tremors under her, making her lose her balance. Loud klaxons were starting to blare from all sides. She and Martha looked to each other, realizing with panic that she will never able to reach her before what's happening will hit its crescendo. Suddenly loud explosions rocked the area. Giving her just enough time  
to jump into a corner before the roof fell.

The shaking seemed to last forever, reminding her that time in Australia, when she had been surprised by an Earthquake in the middle of her mission. And then it ended swiftly, the ground stopped shaking with only a few rocks and dust still falling. Rose carefully stood in case there were aftershocks and looked around to assess the situation.

"Rose! Oh my god Rose! Are you okay?" She could hear someone calling her, but it sounded as if it were from a distance with the slight ringing in her ears. She was checking herself over as the Doctor appeared besides her, giving her his own examination at a frantic pace. Touching everywhere that she’d let him while reassuring himself that she was still alive and in one piece.

She started to smile, looking to reassure him. But then she noticed the cave in where Martha was just standing. Her eyes widened with worry. "Martha!" She looked around, but not seeing Martha anywhere. "She was there! She's on the other side of the tunnel!" She started to try and dig into the wall of stone, when she was stopped by Donna who grasped her wrist.

"Listen Wonder Woman, all you are doing is injuring yourself. Especially since we don’t know how steady those rocks are," Donna tried to reason with Rose. "You look like a snowman."

Rose took a second glance at herself, effectively covered in dust and dirt, and realized there was nothing to be done for the time being. She turned to the Doctor, who had turned to face the four men with the most furious look that he could muster. "You've sealed off the tunnel and almost killed Rose! Why did you do that?" he said in a dangerous voice, the oncoming storm starting to come around.

The man who came from Rose took two steps forward and stared defiantly at him. "They were trying to kill us. I did what I had to do."

"Our friend is on the other side!" said Donna as she marched angrily right onto the face of the blonde man. "You didn't have to right to do that!"

He smiled at Donna. "At least you've still got your friends. The Hath lost more than us, so that's a victory I think."

Donna looked more furious by the second, pointing her finger unto his shoulder. "Her name is Martha. She's not lost; we are going to get her back. Have you got that, GI Joe?" She turned to them. "Right?"

The Doctor nodded; a somber air on his face. "We are going to find her." He was helping Rose dust herself off. "We are not leaving without her."

"You're going nowhere," the one in charge called out. "You’re not making any sense. You don't have marks." He cocked his head in direction of a still morose Rose. "That one has a gun, but no sense of real fight, and you two are obvious pacifists." he spat the word as if it were the most disgusting thing in the English language. "I'm taking you to General Cobb. Now move."

Rose was in his face almost immediately, her self-control lost into the face of her failing. "It's your fault! You understand? It's your fault!" she said angrily, her gun pointed directly under his chin. "I had time to save her!" She would have had the time if she had a few more seconds. All she had needed was a few more seconds! She didn't realize that the three other men had pointed their riffle at her almost straight away. Then all she could see was the fact that that man has authorized an act of murder. He was the one in charge and he didn't think twice about civilian life. If Martha was dead it was all his fault.

A murderous glint started to appear in her eyes, as a feral smile was growing on her face. Making the man pale significantly under her gaze. But before she could do something she'd regret, and get them all killed, she was stopped by a wide eyed Doctor. Who slipped between her and the men, effectively de escalating the situation before it was definitely out of control.

"Rose, it's not the time," he offered in a hushed voice. Looking warily at all the weapons drawn, including her own. "I'm sure Martha is still alive, and we are going to get her back, I swear. I will not leave her here. But we need to go with them and find out everything that we can before our next move."

"Also find a map," Donna added, who was clearly as uncomfortable around that situation as the Doctor.

The Doctor nodded with a smile, relieved that at least one of them was thinking rationally. "Like Donna said." Before looking at her again with a soft look in his eyes. "So Rose?"

Rose sighed and holstered her weapon again. Her fury becoming more and more under control. She looked at the men who were still on their guard. "Okay, we will follow you..." In the corner of her eyes she saw the Doctor sag with relief and felt a little bit of shame. She shouldn't have lost her cool like that. She was an officer, not a rookie. It should not have happened… But the Doctor like every time he appeared in her life had changed everything.

Without another words they started to walk into one of the dark tunnel. Rose was wondering if this day could go any worse.


	9. Chapter 9

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hi people! Sorry for the delay, I was travelling but hey the new chapter is here! I hope you will like it. Like always don't forget to tell me what you think of it. I love having feedback.  
> Like always a million thanks to my beta penandpaper83, she's perfect.

**Chapter 9:**

 

They walked in silence for a few minutes when the Doctor nudged her, looking at her with soft eyes. "Are you okay?"

Rose smiled weakly. "To be honest, not really. It's a little too much for me… Between seeing you again and then suddenly having a son. Well technically..." The Doctor’s smile slumped a little and he averted his eyes, feigning a sudden interest for Donna who was talking to the blond man. She cursed internally at her word choice. None of this was really his fault. "It's not that I'm not happy to see you! It's just..." She sighed. "Doctor, I thought that I would never see you again, and I made my peace with it. And suddenly having you right in front of me… It's hard." She chewed at her lips. "But now is not the time to talk about this. We have to find Martha as soon as we can."

His shoulders dropped at her admission before straightening back up again as Rose was right. "You have a point, Rose Tyler. Always seeing the entire picture." 

The sound of her name in his mouth made her heart flutter. And before she did something she regretted, she walked a little faster, catching up with Donna and the boy.

"So what's your name?" Donna asked curiously. "I'm Donna and she's Rose," she offered as Rose caught up to them with a smile.

He shrugged. "Don't know. It's not been assigned."

Rose raised an eyebrow. "Really? So what do you know?"

He smiled at her, making her falter a little. It was really weird to see her own smile on another person. "The machine told me how to fight. Be a good and efficient soldier. All of those important things. That's all I need to know."

"Nothing else?" asked Donna with surprise and a little pity.

The Doctor shimmed into the group. He smiled ear to ear while poking the son of Rose with affection. Who didn’t bother to hide his uncomfortable expression as the Doctor was coming more and more into his comfort zone. "The machine must embed military history and tactics, but no name. Not really important in that conflict I think. That's really fascinating!" the Doctor explained as he once against leaned in to examine Rose’s son.

Rose nudged him off her son, who gave her a relieved look, making the Doctor protest in response. "Hey, you’re not the one with a sudden adult son, mister. And no you can’t take him to the TARDIS to ‘examine” him." 

The Doctor’ nervous smile at being caught was the only response Rose needed.

But Donna was clearly not finished with the topic. "Well, he needs to have a name. “ She had a few seconds of silence before lighting up like she just had the best idea ever. “I could name you after my granddad! His name is Wilfred." She turned to Rose with a smile. "What do you think? After all he is your son."

Rose’s eyes opened almost comically. "Oh god that's so weird." She approached closer to the man, who smiled shyly at the attention. And she had a sudden realization. "You remind me of my little brother Tony. So what about it?" 

He seemed to think about it for a few seconds, before nodding, mostly for himself. "Tony. Yes I like that name." 

"Congrats mom," Donna said with a little laugh while patting her on the back. At the same time, the Doctor had struck up a conversation with Tony, who responded eagerly in kind as he was rather happy to have a new friend.

"Please don't call me that,” Rose hissed at Donna with a glare. As Tony was oblivious, still too focused on what the Doctor was saying behind them. "It's not against him, really. But kids were clearly not in my plan. And he was a bit...sudden." She shrugged. She didn't want to hurt his feelings. It was not his fault if three mad men decided to play god with her DNA.

Before Tony had time to realize what Rose was saying, the Doctor interrupted with a wild smile. "Oh that's right! Your mother was pregnant! So he was named Tony? Wonder how he survived her..." he trailed off while scrubbing his shin. Before being punched in the arm by both women at the same time. "Hey!" he squawked.

"Not funny Doctor," Rose warned as Donna murmured, "not the time!"

"Oh!" His eyebrow touching his hairline as he realized what he said. "Sorry." He smiled sheepishly, rubbing his neck in a sign of discomfort. "It was clearly not the moment..." He beamed at her with soft eyes. "I would never hurt you." Rose smiled back, taking his hand in hers, as Donna looked on like a proud mama in the background. 

"You’re all weird," Tony declared, looking at them oddly and unknowingly breaking the moment. Rose quickly dropped her hand, diverting her eyes to the men in front of her, not wanting the see the disappointment in the Doctor’s eyes. She had to remember this was temporary. As soon as Martha was found, she will be back to her life.

It was for the best.

After five minutes of uncomfortable silence, with nobody daring to say something for fear of making things worse, they finally arrived in a large room with a slightly domed roof and a gallery. The ambient lighting seemed way redder than in the cave. Rose could also see more clone chambers here. She nudged the Doctor to show him. A nod in return told her he also saw it.

"So, where are we? What do the locals call this planet?" the Doctor asked Tony, who in turn looked all too happy at being spoken to, as well as the chance to exhibit his knowledge. It made Rose smile briefly. Being mesmerized by the Doctor was apparently a Tyler trait.

"Messaline! Well, that's the name the machine taught me," he responded with a big smile before turning to one of the soldiers that were accompanying them. "Do you know where that name comes from?"

"I don't know. The first ones are long dead, and with them a lot of our history," one of the soldiers replied dispationally before being interrupted by Donna. She was a few feet away, looking all around with an impressed look. "But this is a theatre!" she exclaimed while touching the wall with interest.

The Doctor came beside her, nudging her with a smirk. "Maybe they're doing Miss Saigon." Rose rolled her eyes in the background. That man was such a child at times. 

"Ok, that looks like a town for me," Rose observed while squinting at some carving on the wall.

"Yes! Like an underground city!" Donna enthused when she came to look at it as well, as the Doctor was looking at her with a smile in the background. But after a few seconds she frowned as she realized something. "But why?"

"Because it was one," answered a man with a neatly trimmed white beard, making Donna jump almost a foot in the air. The man approached them with a grim figure. 

"General Cobb I presume," said the Doctor while looking at him with a suspicious look, his hands firmly in his pockets. 

One of the soldiers took over the discussion, visibly trying to impress his superior. "Found in the western tunnels, Sir. I'm told they have no marks. There was an outbreak of pacifism in the eastern zone three generations back before we lost contact." He turned to Rose. "Is that where you came from?"

Rose looked to the Doctor furtively. "Mmmh yes. Exactly. That's where we came from."

The Doctor moved to the front, pushing a grumbling Donna in the middle of their group at the same time as Tony trailed behind them. "I'm the Doctor, this is Rose, Donna and this young man is Tony!" 

At the sound of his name, Tony’s chest puffed with happiness. "I was named after Rose’s brother," he said proudly, making Rose smile at his somewhat childish enthusiasm.

Cobb looked at him with annoyance, clearly not happy with his intervention. He turned to the Doctor with a hard look. "Don't think you can infect us with your pacifism. We're committed to the fight, to the very end if required."

The Doctor raised his shoulders, silently urging the Rose and Donna to move. But Rose was too busy glaring at Cobb to notice. "Well, that's all right. We can't stay anyway. We still have to find our friend. Right, girls?" He finished with a nervous smile.

"Girls?" Donna growled while aiming her hand to give him a slap on the head. But Rose stopped her before she started a new incident. 

The general made a face the Doctor’s reply. "That's not possible, all movement is regulated. We're at war."

"Yes, I noticed. With the Hath. But tell me, because we got a bit out of circulation, eastern zone and all that. So who exactly are the Hath?" asked the Doctor with interest while taking out his glasses. 

Rose sighed and rolled her eyes. They didn't need a history of the place, just a map to find Martha. As the general and the Doctor were starting to discuss the place, Rose started to wander. Soon she was followed by Donna.

"So what do you think this place is?" Donna was curious while looking at the few plaque around them.

Rose shrugged. "I don't know. Some sort of remembrance maybe?" She touched one of the machines on the wall. "I wonder how many people were born this way. Without family or friends. Just born to fight without question." She sighed, shaking her head and looked at Tony, who was still with the rest of the men looking interested in the discussion.

Donna put her hand on her shoulder, giving her a sad smile. "He can still have a family and friends you know? Maybe he was not born traditionally, but that's not mean he is not yours. My friend Nerys fathered twins with a turkey baster and she loves them all the same."

Rose averted her eyes, preferring to look at the array of empty machines. "It's just… You don't understand. I had a family but I lost them. Looking at him is hard. Every time I look into his eyes or his smile, it's like looking into the past. I know it's not his fault, but I can't help it." After a few seconds of silence she was suddenly engulfed into a strong hug. 

"For what you lost, I'm sorry," Donna said softly. 

That brief moment of peace was broke by the Doctor, who squealed in their direction, "Donna, Rose I think I found something."

They turned in one movement, looking at their friend who was smiling ear to ear and swaying in his excitement with his hands in his pockets. With one last look, and a pat on her arm by Donna, they joined him besides a table. 

"So what did you find?" Rose asked, looking at the different pieces with curiosity. 

"A map!" With a flourish of his sonic screwdriver, the Doctor made the map buzz and suddenly a whole complex of tunnels and chambers started to appear.

Cobb pushed Rose aside, who looked at him annoyed. "That must be the lost temple. The Source will be inside. You've shown us the way. And look, we're closer than the Hath. It's ours!" He turned to a group of soldiers. "Tell everyone to prepare to move out. We'll progenate new soldiers on the morning shift, and then we march. Once we reach the Temple, peace will be restored at long last." 

The Doctor scratched his ear, exchanging a look with Rose and Donna, as Tony was looking curiously in the back. "Er, call me old-fashioned, but if you really wanted peace, couldn't you just stop fighting?"

Cobb nodded with an almost sinister grin. "Only when we have the Source. It'll give us the power to erase every stinking Hath from the face of this planet."

The Doctor looked at him bewildered. As Rose and Donna seemed more and more worried. "Hang on, hang on. A second ago it was peace in our time. Now you're talking about genocide?"

Cobb gave a uncaring shrug. "For us in this moment, genocide is the way to peace." Then, not caring if his answer was acceptable or not, he turned towards his men poised to issue orders.

"Then you need to..." the Doctor fumed before being forcibly pushed aside by a murderous Rose.

"You listen to me!" She snarled as she grabbed Cobb’s arm, forcing him to come nose to nose with with her, and it didn’t escape her notice that he looked rather stunned as he certainly didn't expect any resistance. "If you think for even a fraction of a second that I will just stand back as you murder an entire civilization then you need to think again!" Her glare was so harsh and judgemental that he even took a step back. And for a split second, Rose wished that she still had her weapon, even if it was to show her resolve to fight for what is right. "And I will not hesitate to..." But before she could finish her threat, she felt a arm around her waist as the Doctor tugged her back while trying to shush her.

"I know you care deeply, Rose. But this is not the moment to possibly get us killed," He murmured on his ear, as she struggled to break free. "Do I have to remind you we need to be alive to find Martha?" 

She wanted to elbow him in the ribs so he would release her, but one look in Donna’s direction and seeing her concern made her lose some of her hostility. Only Tony seemed completely unfazed by the events around him. She nodded in indication that she would not do anything further and waited. After a few seconds, the Doctor released her when he was sure that Rose was completely in control of herself again.

Rose looked away the more she reflected on her actions, not wanting to see the disappointment that she knew was on his face, before taking a few steps in the opposite direction. Taking the time to fully calm herself. She didn't mean to lose her cool like that. It was not supposed to happen. She remembered what happened the last time she lost it like that and was clearly not one for a repeat. She sighed and closed her eyes. 

Cobb, not aware of Rose’s inner turmoil regained his posture, shaking himself like it had been just a little discomfort, and had not been probably a few seconds away from being killed. "Cline at arms," he commanded. And the leader of the group who had found them, took out his rifle in a crisp response. "Show them the cells. We don't need them to spread their treason." He turned to Rose who was still turned to the wall. "And you, Rose. If you try anything, I'll see that the Doctor dies first." 

Rose spun around at the threat, a look of fire and death in her eyes. "Touch him and I swear on my life that I will end you," she promised with a tone that told everyone this was not an empty threat.

"Okay Rambo, calm down will you?" Donna said nervously as Rose was locked in an almost staring contest with Cobb. 

"Come on. This way," said Cline, pushing Rose in the process, breaking the tension without realizing it.

The Doctor looked at Rose with concern before turning to the colonel. "I'm going to stop you, Cobb. You need to know that," he promised.

Cobb smirked. "I have an army and the Breath of God on my side, Doctor. What do you have?"

The Doctor tapped at his temple with that cheeky grin of his. “I have my extremely clever brain. A brain that is going to find a way to stop you, and when I do, you’ll have one chance to make things right.”

Cobb rolled his eyes now that it appeared that he had the upper hand against the small group He waved a hand in dismissal. "Lock them up and guard them."

"What about the new soldier?" Cline asked while throwing a look at Tony, who looked offended at the implication he was a troublemaker. 

"Can't trust him. He's from too wild a stock. Take them all." And with a last hand gesture, he dismissed them all. Looking at the map like they were now non existent. 

And just like that, they were pushed in direction of the prison cell. The Doctor tried to look at Rose and catch her attention, but she was stubbornly looking at the ground, refusing to meet his eyes. He realized suddenly that she changed way more that he was thinking at first. And he wasn’t really sure if it was a good thing.


	10. Chapter 10

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hello everyone I'm still alive! Sorry for the delay but you have the blame the Irish weather. I didn't have internet because of the snow and when I finally had it again my beta lost her own also because of the snow. Really sorry about it. Well I hope you will enjoy it! And like always tell me what you think of it!  
> Also a thousand thanks fof my beta penandpaper83!

**Chapter 10**  
  
"I don't want to talk about it." Rose stood firm while repeating her answer for what had to have been the fifth time. Because he could never know the truth. Ever. "Like I said, I just lost my cool. That's all."  
  
The Doctor’s agitation grew as he paced the middle of the prison cell they had been put into. "And like I said, your reaction was not normal! You threatened a man Rose! Two times!" He stopped in front of her. "Talk to me," he sighed, "please." But only silence was his response.  
  
"More numbers," Donna observed while trying to break the tension. "They've got to mean something."  
  
"Makes as much sense as the Breath of Life story," the Doctor mumbled, still bothered by Rose’s stillness.   
  
Rose stared curiously at the Doctor. "What?"  
  
"You think it’s not true," Tony asked from his seat on the ground. He was still staring at the wall vacantly, as a startled Doctor looked at him having momentarily forgotten that he was with them. “You think it’s a joke, when it’s the fate of two civilizations at stake.” An ominous silence was his response before Donna gave a nervous laugh, making Tony jump like he had been deep in through. 

"Okay, what’s he’s talking about?" Donna asked while looking at the Doctor, who was still frowning at Tony as if he were trying to find the response to a very difficult enigma. The only person not visibly bothered by that comment was Rose, who was too busy throwing Tony a sad look.  
  
The Doctor scratched his chin, briefly considering Donna’s question and if there was time to get into it before waving his hand in a sort of dismissal. "Just some myth. You know the 'and then there was life' kind of things." He started to path again. "Regardless, I think there could still be something important in that temple. Maybe a piece of technology, or a weapon. Lost in time and became a myth."  
  
Donna looked at him offended. "So the Source you’re talking about could be a weapon, and we've just given directions to Captain Nutjob?" She threw her hands in the air. "Good job, really!" She turned to Rose who was still sulking in a corner. "Back me up please!"  
  
Rose shrugged, still a little perturbed by Tony’s behavior and her own loss of self control. But one thing at the time. "Hey no objection from me, remember I was the one who wanted to stop him." Her sentence gained only a worrying look from the Doctor. She also realized that Tony was looking her way with a curious gaze. "What?"  
  
"You are not like the others. Are you a soldier like me?" he asked with interest.   
  
She smiled at him, still cannot believing she had a son. A son who looked so much like herself that her mother would have probably smothered him to death by now. "Technically an officer really. I'm generally the one who gives the orders rather than the one who follows them." But then her smile faltered as she remembered her life before the Doctor, a time when everything was so still and motionless. That life she had wanted to run from so bad. Sometimes she wondered how that life would have been without the Doctor.  
  
"So, you are like the colonel Cobb?" Tony continued, totally oblivious to the change of mood in Rose.  
  
She flinched, turning her head to the wall. She recalled the multiple times she had people under her command, counting on her in battle to bring them home alive. She always tried to do her best and incur the bare minimum of loss possible. But sometimes it’s too easy to lose yourself in the blood and rage of the battle. Humanity is such a fleeting thing... "No, I'm not. Life is something precious." She turned her head again, making sure that Tony was looking directly in her eyes. "You should never waste it. If I had to teach you one thing, it's that you never take a life when you have other means."  
  
The Doctor and Donna were looking at them, but she had eyes only for her son. Tony was solemn and subdued, like he was pondering what she just had said. But she knew how that moment was important, because he was literally born to fight and kill. She remembered a time when it was a choice that she had to make, and she didn’t want him to suffer like she had. Trial by fire is never without consequence. She wanted something different for him, an alternative choice like she had herself. Even if she had to drag him kicking and screaming.  
  
"Can you teach me? I mean being a soldier like you," he asked after a long moment of silence with a shy look. He was clearly expecting to be turned down, but he asked anyway.  
  
She beamed, so proud she almost burst. "Yes, if it's something you want," she replied with the hint of emotions she was feeling herself. Maybe something good could come from all this.  
  
Donna fell beside her, punching her lightly in the shoulder, making Rose jump almost a foot in the air. She had totally forgotten they were there. "Well good job mom," Donna praised with a fond smile. Rose tensed almost immediately at the moniker, as she was still not at ease with the idea of instant motherhood. The love for her son was already here, she was not denying it, but the shock had clearly not settled out.  
  
The Doctor sensed her sudden panic, and diverted the attention to himself. "Well, we still need to get out of here, find Martha, and stop Cobb from slaughtering the Hath."  
  
"Oh right!" said Donna with suddenness, before getting back on her feet. She offered her hand to Rose who hesitated for a second before taking it and getting up herself. "Do you have a plan?"  
  
"I need your phone Donna. Time for an upgrade." He turned to Rose with a smile. "What happened to yours by the way? You know the one we lost the first time?"  
  
She laughed, remembering the fate of her poor phone. "An unfortunate incident involving my mom, two mentors hell bent on invading east London and a washing machine. He sadly didn't survive."  
  
He chuckled as Donna looked at her. "What's a mentor?"  
  
She shrugged and she walked in direction of Tony who still didn't have moved from in position against the wall. It was time for her to have a real one to one with her son. "Let's say if you don't like slugs, then they’re not going to be your favorite aliens."  
  
The redhead shuddered at the visual as the Doctor was sniggering in the background. "Ok. Got it."  
  
Rose sat beside Tony who was still looking at the ground. Probably still thinking about what she said. She bumped him with a smile. "You know I'm sure my mom would have loved you."  
  
He looked at her with wide eyes, almost childlike their appearance. Making her realize that even if he was fully grown, he was still only a few hours old. It was not his fault if he was there now. He didn't ask to be born from some machine. For better or for worse he was family, and like her mother always said: you don't abandon family. You stick with it and you try your best. If she turned her back on him, she was sure that her mom would have crossed over just to give her the smack of a lifetime.

"You have a mother? That means I have...That I have a family?" Tony was starting to be excited. At that moment she was only seeing the Tyler in him, the one who could have been really hers if her life had been different.  
  
"Yes and I have a dad. And like I said before, a brother named Tony just like you. And even friends!"  
  
"Could I meet them?" he asked as the excitement seemed to radiate from him, just like she used to do when she was a child. She had lost it somewhere during her adolescence but she was so happy to see it was a trait so ingrained in her that she passed it on to him.  
  
She had a sad smile full a sorrow and pain. "No I lost them a long time ago." She patted his shoulder as he started to look saddened. "But I'm sure they would have loved you. My mom would have probably adored you to death."  
  
"Martha, you're alive!" She heard from the other side of the cage, as the Doctor was looking ecstatic, smiling like a madman. She crossed his eyes and realized as his stare softened that he had deliberately let her have a moment with Tony, even if his burning envy to know answers was eating at him. She had a soft smile, thanking him wordlessly.   
  
"I'm so glad you're alive!" Donna shouted into the phone, making the Doctor wince under the volume, and breaking the moment without realizing it.  
  
"Yes, we’re all here together. Donna, Rose and Tony too. Yes, that’s what she called him!" He nodded after being handed the phone, mostly for himself rather than Martha. "We're fine. What about you?" He smiled at her response as she began to fill him in, making Rose relax, who become conscious that she had been tense since their separation with the companion. "Anyway, where are you?" He then frowned at what she was saying before his eyebrow almost jumped to his hairline. He was entertaining to watch she thought. That was a thing she didn't remember and it almost saddened her. Because what else has she forgotten?  
  
"Oh, that was me," continued the Doctor, not seeing the turmoil in Rose. "If both armies are heading that way, there's going to be a bloodbath... Just stay where you are. If you're safe there, don't move, do you hear me?" He stayed silent for a few seconds, waiting for an answer before looking at his phone with surprise. "Well she hung up."  
  
Donna sniggered. "Maybe she was tired of hearing your voice!" They started to bicker, making Rose roll her eyes as Tony looked at them with interest. "Are they always like this?"  
  
"Unfortunately I think so," Rose replied with amusement. She was glad to see that everything had not been bleak for the Doctor. It was good for him.  
  
But her fleeting moment of peace was shattered by the sudden and distant screams of dozens of soldiers. "To war!" They shouted over and over again, triggering in Rose a flashback of a few memories that she tried her hardest to forget or bury deep into herself.

As the screams grew louder and louder, she felt herself shutting down, gasping for breath while realizing helplessly that she was having an episode in a middle of a group less than equipped to manage it. And if the Doctor realized...Well she was clearly not ready to face that storm of questioning anytime soon. 

She started to recite the names of her teammates while taking slow deep breaths, then repeating to herself over and over that it was not real and nothing was happening, just like how she had been taught after the last few disastrous event when she had a flashback without warning. But her control of herself was still wavering, making it harder for her to come back to herself without anyone realizing it.  
  
"Hey are you okay?" Tony asked in a worried voice, encircling her with his arms, as the Doctor was fortunately too busy looking looking for a way to escape to see her state.  
  
And just like that, she felt like she was back into her own body, grappling back to the reality and grateful beyond words that Tony had seemed to know how to do the right thing at the perfect moment. She was still shaken, and a little afraid to see how everything had gone to hell so fast since the return of the Doctor. But she knew that now was not the time to be vulnerable or emotional.  People were counting on her, and she would have to wait to be back on Earth to fall apart if needed. So, she faked a smile to her son, as she let herself relax into the hug, and played that moment as just a fluke. "Yeah, yeah just some memories. No worry.” She diverted his attention to the other topic at hand, and hoped that Tony would be too distracted to talk about what just happened. “So! We need a means to escape before they start to kill everyone. I’m open to any ideas." Donna and the Doctor turned their heads in a synchronized movement, making it almost comical. She shrugged. "Just saying."

“Rose? Can I talk to you for a second?” asked the Doctor, visibly troubled by something. 

She exchanged a smile with Tony, patting him on the knee to indicate him that they were good and started to stand up. With a little difficulty she realized with humor. Maybe she getting too old for this sort of thing. As she joined the Doctor, who was walking along the door nervously, she heard Donna take her place, starting a discussion with Tony.  


“So tell me what do you know about this place?” She bumped the Doctor’s shoulder with a smile, trying to stop him from stressing too much while grounding herself at the same time. She knew that the more she had contact with people after an episode, the easier it was for her to grasp the fact it was not real and that she was now well and good. “What do you wanted to talk about?”

He sent a nervous look in Tony’s direct, who was smiling at Donna. “Are you sure it’s a good idea to trust him like that?”

She bristled at his tone of voice. “You seemed to like him well enough before. What changed?” 

The Doctor’s eyes softened as she called him out, and it was the look that said he knew that she was emotional and just needed a pep talk. The one she already wanted to smack down when they were travelling together and now was even more infuriating. Especially in that instant. 

"Rose, he is a man of war. If he had not been thrown in here with us, he would have been chanting just like them."

She came nose to nose with the Doctor, furious at his insinuation. "And what? He doesn’t deserve a second chance? Just because he was created to fight a war?”

He started to back down, his position as non threatening as possible. “I didn’t say that. Just I’m not sure he should follow us when we get out of here. We cannot be sure he’s not a spy or someone here to stop us.” 

“Hey!” called Tony in an indigned voice in the background. 

But neither the Doctor or Rose were looking at him. “I trust him. That’s more than enough for me,” Rose declared. Tony had literally saved her from herself less than a minute before, how could the Doctor be that dense? But he was still looking at her with a patronizing look in his eyes, making her want to hurt him.  “And you know what?” she sneered, her tone helped by the residual anger that an episode tended to leave behind.  “If you make me choose, don’t be so confident about my response.” 

He took a step back, a pained expression on his face at what she implied, that she would leave him again without a second thought. Making her regret instantly what she just said. She started to open her mouth to apologize but the Doctor beat her to it.

“He is a soldier. Literally born to kill!” the Doctor shouted, angry and hurt beyond reason. Touching a weak point of Rose without realizing it. 

"So I am!” she shouted back. “And you know what? I’ve killed people! I’ve sacrificed men just in hope than more would live! I fought in wars! I'm just like him. Are you going to sacrifice me as well?"

She was meet with a choked silence and sad eyes. "Rose I didn't mean..."

But it was too late now. They both said things that could not be taken back, no matter how much they wanted to. Rose realised with sadness that maybe the boat had sailed a long time ago, and now too much has changed. That she was too broken to be someone of any worth to him. The Rose he knew was long gone, and she was deeply sad to see she could not measure up. She sighed and turned her head, too tired and wired to fight.

She just wanted to go home. Get her emotions under lock once again and move on. "No you didn't probably mean it but that's a reality. I’ve changed, Doctor. I will not let you vilify a man just because he could have been..."

"Maybe we can ask Tony what he thinks?" Donna intervened while trying to calm them down before the situation spiraled out of control.

"Well, you are a tad too much emotional, and I would really prefer not being sacrificed. But I can still be the diversion if you want," Tony said with so much sarcasm that Rose snorted. Sarcasm was obviously in his genes as well.

"At least he has a sense of humor. And that's clearly something that came from you, Rose, because that lot of soldiers are clearly not a comedy troupe," continued Donna while smiling ear to ear at Tony who looked pleased with himself.

“No, don’t worry, if a diversion is needed I can do it,” said Rose with a fond look to her son. She had decided then and there that if she could, she would take him back with her.

“Why you? Why not me or Donna?” asked the Doctor with indignation, still mulling over his spat with Rose. It had been very childish of him to be this petty, but seeing her so open with someone else had made him envious, so his mouth had run on autopilot as usual. And the worst thing about his behavior is that he really liked Tony. He was so much like Rose.

“Because knowing you, you will probably annoy them to death and make them kill you,” Donna teased with a satisfied smile as the Doctor puffed. “And well I’m not against doing the diversion, but I’m curious to see what Rose will do.”

Rose smiled at Tony, who was waiting for his cue to do something. “Ok Tony, watch and learn.” She glanced to the Doctor, still hurt by what he said. “And you could also learn a thing or two...” Then without another word she walked to the door, realizing as she leaned against it that the guard had changed. Now it was Cline, the one who moved them here. This could work in their favor as perhaps he will have her weapon with him.

“Cline right?” she asked with a hint of flirting in her voice.

“I’m not supposed to talk to you. I’m on duty,” Cline replied without moving his eyes from the opposite wall.

“Well, I imagine that colonel Cobb would not be an happy man if you fail at your duty…” She bent a little, waiting for the right moment to move then smiled. “And you know what?”

By reflex, he turned his head at the question. “What?”

“He was right.” Before he had the time to think about what she just said, she moved her arms around him and knocked him out, muffling his brief scream with her hand, squatting with the body to let him down gently without a sound. A few seconds later she turned around and with a big smile, showed a key in one hand and her gun in the other one. Making Donna laugh big time.

“No way in hell you would have done that!” she said to the Doctor, who was looking at Rose with astonishment.

“Wow that was awesome!” cried out Tony, jumping to his feet with excitement and smiling like a little kid. “I’m really, really impressed!” He turned to the Doctor, hitting him in the shoulder with enthusiasm, his previous issue with Tony already forgotten. “Isn’t she cool?”

The Doctor could only nod numbly at Tony. He was completely overwhelmed by the contradiction in him. Because while he was fundamentally against violence, especially when an alternative existed, but in that moment he could only be awed by what he just saw.

At least if Rose was leaving him after this, he could still bond with Tony over the fact she was in a league way out of their own.


	11. Chapter 11

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hello everyone! New chapter and believe me, it was not an easy one! That chapter was Satan himself. That why it took me so long to post it. I promise the next one will be ready sooner. Like always don't forget to tell me what you think of it!  
> A lot of love for my Beta penandpaper83

**Chapter 11:**

 

“Ok, I think it’s enough,” said Rose as she finished tying up the guard she just knocked out. “We need to move now, before the rest of the cavalry realizes that we’re gone and come after us.” As she turned around, she realized that the Doctor was still looking at her with a weird look in his eyes. Which made her roll her own in response. Sometimes she wondered about his sanity. But she was fortunately saved from an uncomfortable discussion by an oblivious Donna, who was still looking around with Tony.

“Ok time to get out!” she ordered a little too loudly for the Doctor, who winced at the sharpness of her tone.

“And we need to find the plan for the secret tunnel,” added Tony, walking besides Rose, who couldn’t stopping herself for smiling proudly every time he opened his mouth.

“Yes, so let’s go.” And suddenly just like that Colonel Tyler was back. “I’m going first.” She turned to Tony. “You are closing the group. Don’t forget to take the guard’s weapon on our way out. Doctor…” The man himself approached her with curiosity, still not accustomed seeing the soldier in Rose. “I want you to stay close to Donna and be right behind me. Nobody move before I said so, nobody try to be a hero and for the love of everything let me handle everything coming our way before someone,” she took an hard look to the Doctor, who started to look around innocently, “tries to save the day with a rubber duck and a strand of liquorice.”

Before the alien in question had the time to look offended, Donna started to laugh really loudly, almost tripping on Tony who was probably wondering if liquorice was a weapon or not. “Ok, after our little adventure blondie and I really need to talk!”

“Please no!” The Doctor cringed at what could happen with the two woman in the same place and no danger on the horizon to distract them.

Rose had a sudden evil grin, making everyone a little nervous. “Oh yes. The stories I have…” She looked a little dreamy for a second before shaking herself and taking out her weapon, looking again like the professional she was. “Ok let’s go.”

“Hey I’m not a damsel in distress!” said Donna, affronted to be treated like a child, almost hitting the Doctor as he tried to move her behind him. Tony had the wisdom to stay away behind, occupying himself by checking the weapon he just recovered.

Rose sighed, a little irritated to lose time like this. Did nobody realize that they had maybe twenty five minutes, at best, before someone came to relieve Clive? “I know, Donna, but you are also the only full civilian here, so it’s my job to ensure your safety.” The Doctor coughed, making her add, “and also the Doctor is here to protect you. So please stay behind. And Doctor, no heroic action. We find Martha. We stop Cobb from doing something stupid, and we run to the TARDIS. Are we clear?”

“Crystal!” He smiled broadly, his hands in his pocket. The perfect image of a nine year old on a sugar rush. Making Rose shake her head fondly. That man was infuriating, but by god did she miss him sometimes.

“Ok let’s go!” And then she was out.

“I so want to be her one day,” Tony whispered to the Doctor as they were walking out. His last row with Rose already forgotten.

“I can understand why...”

“Hey, Fanboy, we don’t have all day!” called Donna while snickering besides them. Between the man with a crush, and the kid with an hero worship; she was five seconds away from telling them to hold their fan club meeting elsewhere. But she wisely decided to leave that for another moment as the Doctor walked in front of her.

She had to convince Rose to stay in the TARDIS first. Because she was not ready to have an heartbroken Doctor on her hands again. One time had been enough.

\---

They had been walking for almost ten minutes. Rose making them progress slowly while checking every nook and corner, her eyes entirely focused on the mission at hand. For the moment they had not seen anyone, letting her relax little by little. But it was not enough for the Doctor, who was realizing more and more that he didn’t know at all the Rose Tyler in front of her.

Gone was the joyous and carefree woman who had traveled with him. In her place was a hardened soldier and leader. Not that he was proud to see her so confident and charismatic, but the fact it happened without him made something really ache inside him. He didn’t want that life for her. When he had imagined her in the parallel earth without him, he always imagined her happy, most importantly with her family and endless laughter. It had almost broken him, but that was all that he ever wanted for her.

But now? Seeing her like that, was looking at an uncomfortable mirror from a past life. And he was not sure he was able to support the choices that he would inevitably have to make.

“Someone is there,” whispered Rose in front of him, making him almost jump in surprise. He had been so deep in thought that he had forgotten where they were.

“If I remember correctly, that's the way out,” the Doctor muttered as he was looking at the man who was facing away from them down the stairs. “I’m right?” he continued in Tony’s direction.

“Well yes, this is the most direct route. There are others, but we might run into trouble with some of Cobb’s friends.”

“Let me distract this one. I have picked up a few womanly wiles over the years,” Donna said with grin, eager to prove that she was as much as capable that the rest of them.

“Let's save your wiles for later. In case of emergency,” replied the Doctor, trying to somewhat hold back Donna, as Tony was looking amused beside them. “Let me handle it.”

“Like you handled it the last time? Sure! It worked so well,” Donna said sarcastically.

As they continued their disagreement, not realising they were going up and up in volume, they were suddenly stopped by a loud whistling, putting a stop to their bickering.

“Okay you can stop shouting, it’s done,” Said Rose with a smile as they turned around in a perfect unison, while nudging the unconscious guard with her foot just to be sure he wasn’t faking. “So we need to find something telling us where the Hath camp is.”

“They must all have a copy of that map I saw with Cobb,” said the Doctor, taking out his sonic screwdriver. “Just stay there,” he said, walking tall in front of Rose, trying desperately to regain the upper hand.

“Yeah right…” Rose replied, smiling with Donna who was probably two seconds away to bursting into laughter.

“Wait. This is it. The hidden tunnel. There must be a control panel,” said the Doctor, already in the other room, most probably to Tony who was the only one who had followed him. “I think it’s why you couldn’t know this. It’s clearly in a dead end for you and…”

“There’s another one of those numbers. They're everywhere,” said Donna, looking at one of the pillar in this new area, cutting off one of the Doctor’s infamous monologues.

“Well, the original builders must have left them. Some old cataloguing system,” he offered curious to why she was focusing on that of all things.

Donna turned to Rose, who was guarding the back door just in case. “You got a pen? Bit of paper? Because the numbers are counting down. This one ends in one four. The prison cell said one six.”

“Yeah sure wait…” She started to ruminage into her pocket, taking out a pen. “But I don’t have any paper. I usually just carry the basics on me these days.“

“I have some, Donna.” The Doctor fished something out of his pockets.

“One day I will want to know what you have exactly in those pockets.” Donna rolled her eyes while taking the paper.

“No you really don’t want to know,” Rose replied as she passed her head out of the door to keep an eyes on the stairs

Hey!” The Doctor glared at her, taking his head out of the map looking scandalized. “I said I was sorry about that! I didn’t even remember I had it!”

“Yeah and the fact you had a mouse trap in the first place was not weird at all,” snickered Rose as they started to smile to each other.

“He had what?” Said Donna horrified. “Ok, maybe I really don’t want to know.”

“Ahah! Found it!” called Tony in the background, his hands on two seperate parts of the wall, making them all turn around. “I think I have the control panel and the door!”

“Tony, you are a genius!” the Doctor enthused as the young man beamed. “Now give me just a minute…”

“So… You said that after you will stop the colonel you will leave. We are you going?” Tony asked shyly.

“I travel through time and space. Looking around at the different things.”

“He saves planets,” added Donna. “Rescues civilisations. Defeats terrible creatures. Runs a lot. Seriously, there's an outrageous amount of running involved.”

“I don’t think I ever had a better cardio than when I was travelling with the Doctor,” Rose thought to herself as she looked into space. Did she have better running time as a Torchwood agent or as an UNIT colonel? She will had to take out her few last running time to compare.

“Got it!” the Doctor said enthusiastically, high fiving Tony who was still besides him, making Donna and Rose smile as the door opened.

But the joyous atmosphere was cut short by the voice of Cobb and a few men reverbarting all around them, indicating they weren’t the only ones in this area.

“Time to run!” said Rose, pushing a still motionless Doctor and Donna into the hole made by the door opening.

They started to run. Going faster and faster, surprising even Rose as Donna outdistanced her without issue, following the Doctor, who was still running like his life depended on it. Not unusual at all if she thought about it.

She then realized as she looked at Tony, who was a little in front of her but was showing more signs of effort than the rest of them, that when she resumed her training regime, that she’ll need to drag her son with her. Because she was clearly out of shape compared to them.

After a few seconds however, she noticed that the Doctor had stopped running. After stopping short, and taking a brief glance around, she realized why: an array of laser beams was criss-crossing the passage. Making it impossible for them to pass without being fried to death.

“That's not mood lighting, is it?” asked Donna, the humor clearly more to relax the situation than anything else.

Without a word the Doctor rummaged around one of his pockets, taking out a clockwork mouse and tossing it into the lasers, causing it to instantly disintegrate.

“Wow! You really do have everything in those pockets,” Tony was more impressed by the Doctor rather than what he just saw. The Doctor of course responded by smiling broadly at Tony. Making Rose roll her eyes with a sigh. Soon she will have to separate them if this was going to cause a distraction.

“That’s clearly not good news,” Donna interjected, unaware of the mood around her. She started to have practice with the Doctor. If she survived him into one of his “Rose’s mood” she could override everything.

“Tony with me!” the Doctor commanded as he approached a blue box in a corner, clearly trying adopt the young man by any means possible.

But Rose was starting to be fed up with all this, and pushed her son in the other direction before he had time to make a move. “No, Tony check the corridor. I’m going in.” As the Doctor looked at her in surprise, she started to justify herself. “I have probably a better understanding of the electrical layout than him.”

“Since when?” asked the Doctor, his mouth going faster than his brain like always.

“There's more of these. Always eight numbers, counting down the closer we get,” said Donna before Rose had time to respond, trying to deescalate the situation before they started to shoot at each other again.

“I think I’m hearing the general,” Tony advised as he engaged his weapon, his demeanor going full soldier in a few seconds. He had the time to make a few steps before Rose realized what he was doing.

“And where do you think you are going, young man?” Rose asked icily, channeling her best impression of Jackie Tyler, making even the Doctor freeze in a somewhat forgotten preservation instinct.

The young man looked at her with big eyes, clearly not sure what he was supposed to do. “I can stall them.”

Rose walked in front of him, the blue box and laser already forgotten. “And getting yourself killed in the process? I don’t think so! I’m going,” She declared while taking out her weapon at the same time, her head already forming plan. She could use the machine gun that was a meter away.

But before she could even think about going in that direction, she was stopped by a surprising strong arm and a double “no!” coming from both the Doctor and Tony, who were looking at each other surprised.

“You cannot do that,” commanded the Doctor with a mullish expression on his face.

“And why not?” Rose shot back, her arms crossed, already annoyed with his tendency to shelter everyone who was not him.

He had a brief panicked look in his eyes before looking at her triumphantly. “Because Tony is better suited for that. He know better than us how they work!” She turned around, looking at Tony who was nodding with force. Obviously her son was firmly on ‘team Doctor’. She tried to have support from Donna, who immediately looked away, showing that she was not going get involved.

Rose sighed, knowing when she was outnumbered. “Ok, Tony you do it.” The Doctor and the young man exchanged a big smile. “But remember if you can. Don’t kill them.”

Tony put his hand on her shoulder in a sign of affection. Thus melting her annoyance a little. “I will just try to stall them until you disarm the laser. I promise.”

She nodded and returned to the blue box with the Doctor, who was already deep into it.

After a few seconds she started to hear an exchange of gunfire, and with her heart into her throat that she forced herself to not look. Praying to every deity he will be okay. “Okay do it!” said the Doctor with a last flourish of his sonic screwdriver just as the laser flickered out.

As Donna started to run into the corridor, the Doctor and Rose turned around as one and screamed “Tony let’s go!” before looking at each other with surprise, forgetting for a second where they were.

“Hurry up they are starting again!” screamed Donna, breaking the moment without hesitation. Making them run just in time to see the laser start up again, looking helplessly at Tony who was still exchanging fire with Cobb and his squad. “We needs to help him,” Rose said, her stress going up by the second as she looked at her son risking his life less than fifty meters away. She cursed her reflex to run after the Doctor instead of staying back and fighting alongside him.

“You're a child of the machine. You're on my side. Join us. Join us in the war against the Hath. It's in your blood, boy. Don't deny it.” She heard Cobb scream above the noise of the bullets.

But before she could do something foolish and run into the laser to go hit that man, Tony got up and aimed the machine gun in direction of the general, saying proudly, “I’m the son of Rose Tyler!” He then shot a hole in a steam pipe above Cobb, and turn around with a wild smile on his face.

“Run Tony!” screamed the Doctor, just as scared as Rose. “The circuit's almost finished looping back!”

But before Tony had time to run all the way back to the corridor, the laser were already up and running. This unfortunately cut off his only exit from Cobb, who was already trying to pass the hot steam obscuring his sight.

“Turn it off again!” Donna hollered, as the Doctor was trying desperately to stop Rose from jumping into the laser.

“We can’t leave him here!” Rose shrieked, her eyes bored into Tony’s, who was getting more anxious by the second. “I can’t abandon him!” She tried to the Doctor’s hold but he was too strong. Stronger than her, even now. But she was trying, not ready to see the son she just had disappear in front of her. She had to find another way. Because she was not sure to be strong enough to lose someone else. Not with all her emotions overflowing since she was back in the presence of the Doctor.

“The controls are back there, I cannot do anything from here,” the Doctor answered with a strangled voice, his heart breaking under the situation. Seeing Rose like this was one of the hardest thing he ever witnessed. And knowing that he couldn’t do anything, only watching the bright young man he liked so much be presumably lost to them was devastating. But he had to be strong for Rose. He could do as much for her.

“Go without me!” Tony called while looking behind him as Cobb and the rest of his men was finally moving towards him. “You have to go!” he continued, trying to stay brave for them, but the fear was still clearly in his eyes.

“Not without you!” replied Rose who had stopped struggling, tears running down her face. All trace of fight had deserted her, too heavy under her emotions. As the Doctor was murmuring “I'm sorry, I’m so sorry…” into her hair, trying to comfort her at the best he could do without much success.

As Cobb was only a few meters away, the face of Tony changed suddenly from scared to determined, making them all pause for a second. He looked briefly at Cobb before taking a huge inspiration, and without a second to waste, threw away the weapon and ran. Before their amazed eyes he suddenly flew into the laser, crossing over by doing somersaults between the beams, as if he’s done so his entire life. He dodged every single one of them before landing in front of Rose and the Doctor.

Donna looked at him with an amazed look. “No way. That was impossible,” she said with a sort of reverence.

Rose, who had been released by the Doctor was too busy hugging the life out of Tony, who was laughing madly to say anything.

“Not impossible. Just a bit unlikely. Brilliant! You were brilliant. Brilliant,” said the Doctor who smiled like a mad man. He turned to Rose, who was still clutching to her son. “No DNA test needed! He clearly inherited your gymnastic prowess!” Rose laughed at that, still under the rollercoaster of emotions she just felt.

Tony smiled at the Doctor over Rose shoulder. “I couldn’t let you go on without me. I still have a spaceship to see.”

But the moment was broken by the sound of of Cobb screaming “At arms!” behind them, making Rose jump instantanely in front of Donna and Tony.

The Doctor advanced threatenly, trying his best to conceal the rest of the group, at the annoyance of Rose, who had to push back her son who wanted to follow his new best friend.

“I warned you, Cobb. If the Source is a weapon, I'm going to make sure you never use it,” he said with defiance, letting them all know that their second chance was dangerously close to being squandered on almost killing Tony.

But his only response was a smiling Cobb. “One of us is going to die today, and it won't be me.” But before he had time to order his men to fire, the little group had already run away into one of the corridor, gaining distance once again.


	12. Chapter 12

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hey everyone! New chapter! I tried to do as fast as possible. Like always don't forget to tell me what you think of it. I love having feedback.  
> A million thanks to my beta penandpaper83, she's awesome.

After a few minutes of running in a tense silence, and the distance between themselves and Cobb and his men growing by the minute, they finally began to relax enough to slow down. Which Tony, who was getting winded by the sprint, was all too happy join in. 

“So, are you all travelling together?” Tony asked, partly out of curiosity and partially to cut the tension.

“First of all, don’t ever scare me again like that again!” Rose ordered as she spun on her heel and punched Tony in the arm, making him jump in a combinations of surprise and pain. “And if you do it again, you’re grounded for the next ten years! Are we clear?”

Tony acquiesced with surprised eyes, exchanging a frightened look with the Doctor, who was nervous that he was next on Rose’s list. But he was saved by an amused Donna.

“Just me and the Doctor. I only met Rose yesterday. But the Doctor and her used to travel together. As did Martha at one point.”

“Oh!” He said surprised before turning to Rose. “Why did you stop?”

Rose had a nervous smile, looking all around her except for the Doctor, who was looking at the ceiling with a somber mood. “Let’s just say that at first, it wasn’t really by choice. And after...Well it’s not really the kind of story you can tell while running away from bad guys…”

Tony nodded for a few seconds before looking at Donna brightly. “Can I come with you after? I want to see other planets and the things you talked about!”

“Of course you can come!” enthused Rose and the Doctor before looking at each other surprised by their simultaneous outburst. This made Donna laugh so hard she had to stop and lean onto the wall to not fall over, making them all stop as they looked at her with different degree of surprise.

“You’ll have to share custody! That’s hilarious.” She laughed louder. “So what are you gonna do? One week in the TARDIS then one week at UNIT? If you do that, I will pay big money to see that.”

“Don’t be silly Donna,” said the Doctor annoyed. “We let Tony chose.” But his response only made Donna continue to laugh. “Human sometimes I swear…” he muttered.

Rose rolled her eyes at his remark, like he was any better than them. “Tony is an adult, well technically, If he wants to come with one of us, then that doesn’t mean he won’t have a means to contact the other. Yes, I will be going back to UNIT after we’re finished here.” She pretended to not see the wounded look on the Doctor face at her announcement. “But if Tony wants to travel a little with the Doctor that’s fine. That’s why mobiles exist. As long as I can see him from time to time.” She smiled fondly at her son. “I just want him to be happy.” 

And that’s she could ever want for him. And if that meant see him leave for some time with the Doctor, well she could accept and support that. She already loved Tony deeply, but she was nowhere ready to be a full-time mom, nor have someone depending on her for a long period of time. She still sometimes had difficulty tending for herself correctly. Seeing the state of her life right now, and what she was supposed to do, it was probably for the best for the Doctor to stay with Tony. He could teach and protect him. And she could still arrange to see him enough to keep an eyes on him. Just in case what she thought would could happen in the future came to fruition.

“What is it like going to other planets?” asked Tony, his head already in the stars, making Rose tear up a little. He really looked like her when she was younger. Always dreaming big, and she was so happy that nobody will tell him otherwise. He’ll get dream all he wants, and go as far he wanted to go. And just like for her, it was the Doctor who will make the dreams real. Like mother like son in an ironic way.

“Oh, never a dull moment. It can be terrifying, brilliant and funny, sometimes all at the same time. And a lot of time running. It’s like we never stop sometimes,” said Donna, her full attention on Tony and his eyes full of dreams. “You’ll love it!”

“We’re not always running!” the Doctor protested. “It’s just the bit in between.” He started to scratch his chin. “Well…okay lot of bit in between...But I swear that’s not not my intention most of the time.”

“Yeah right,” Donna snorted. “Hey Donna, let’s take tea in this gorgeous planet. I swear they’re peaceful! And then not even half an hour later, I’m trying to depose a murderous tyrant while trying not to be ran over by that beanpole on a bicycle.”

“Hey it was one time!” protested the Doctor as they started to bicker over their accounts of the event while Tony’s head bobbed like he was watching a tennis match. 

Rose smiled as she observed the three. She was so happy that he had Donna. They seemed to go on like a house on fire. She started to move forward, deciding to let them have their fun until they realize that she was advancing. But her peace did not hold for long as she realized not even ten meters in front of her a piece of the wall was starting to crumble under the pressure of an heavy object, making her realize that Cobb had probably decided on another route. She ran in the other direction, just as the wall was blasted away, passing her three others companion who looked around surprised.

“They've blasted through the beams!” She screamed. “Time to move!”

“Great! Love the running!” the Doctor said happily, while following her as Donna and Tony were going full blast beside him. But they were not running very far as they were suddenly in front of a dead end.

“We're trapped,” said Donna as Rose was hitting the wall at different place, hoping to open what was visibly a closed door.

“Can't be! This must be the Temple door,” continued the Doctor, standing next to Rose with his sonic screwdriver.

Donna was the only one still looking around, as Tony had started to help the other two. “And again, we're down to one two now,” she said distractly while looking at the number.

The Doctor jumped a little as the door started to make a sound. “I think I’ve got it!”

Rose threw a nervous look behind her as the sound of Cobb was coming closer and closer. “Yeah, but now would be better!”

“I’m nearly done,” he replied, his attention fully on the door which was making more and more sound.

Donna touched one of the numbers. “These can't be a cataloguing system,” she muttered more for herself than the others.

“Got it!” screamed the Doctor, just as Rose and Tony finished forcing open the door, letting them finally escape.

“Woah that was close!” Tony exclaimed just as the Doctor closed the door on Cobb and his men.

The Doctor smiled in his direction. “Not fun otherwise.” But the only response he gained was a hit on the shoulder by Rose. He turned a wounded look to Donna, but the woman was too busy looking around to see what happened.

“It's not what I'd call a temple,” Donna observed with a clearly impressed tone.

Rose examined one of the walls, touching the machinery closely and turned a curious look to the Doctor who was sonicing another part. “More like a spaceship, no?”

He nodded absently. “Fusion drive transport more exactly.”

“What, like the original one? The one the first colonists arrived in?” asked Donna.

The Doctor shrugged as he couldn’t really be sure. “Well, it could be. But the power cells would have run down after a while. This one is still powered-up and functioning.” He pushed Tony in the direction of the stairs. “Come on.” 

As they headed up a flight of stairs, they realized that someone was cutting their way through another door.

“I think it’s the Hath,” said Tony with a highly concerned look. “That door is not going to last much longer. And if General Cobb gets through, war will break out.” He exchanged a worried look with Rose this time, but as he turned to ask the Doctor something, he realized that the man was nowhere to be found.

“ Look, look, look, look, look. Ship's log.” They heard the Doctor calling from another part of the spaceship. When they joined him, he was looking at a screen displaying what looked like some sort of official report.

“Messaline Leader One mission log designation XG2482942-372” He started to read while Rose was looking over his shoulder.

“So this was the original ship. I wonder what happened?” Donna mused.

The Doctor signed. “Phase one: Construction. They used robot drones to build the city.”

As Rose was reading, she didn’t see anything about what she was the most interested in. “Nothing on the war...”

“Wait…” said the Doctor, before turning page for a few seconds, using his speed reading to search for what was interesting Rose the most, all while Tony began to look around, interested at was basically his history. “Ah found it! look!” The Doctor showed Rose part of the document, while reading it aloud for Donna, who was behind them and visibly becoming more frustrated by the second. “Mission commander dead. Still no agreement on who should assume leadership. Hath and humans have divided into factions. That must be it. A power vacuum. The crew divided into two factions and turned on each other. Start using the progenation machines, and suddenly you've got two armies fighting a never-ending war.”

“And now they’re both outside,” Tony warned while still touching and probing everything. Something that reminded Rose of the Doctor with fondness. How many times did she have to stop him touching everything and starting a diplomatic incident? She wondered if it’s was something that changed.

“Oh look at that!” exclaimed Donna as a number was being lit by the screen showing the whole planet.

The Doctor dismissed it with a wave, too busy trying to decipher the different volumes around him. “Yeah it's like the numbers in the tunnels.”

She frowned, gesticulating in excitement. “No, no, no, no. Listen, I spent six months working as a temp in Hounslow Library, and I mastered the Dewey Decimal System in two days flat. I'm good with numbers. It's staring us in the face.” 

“What do you mean?” asked Rose with curiosity, lifting her head from the book she was immersed in.

“It's the date,” Donna answered smiling more and more. “Assuming the first two numbers are some big old space date, then you've got year, month, day. It's the other way round, like it is in America.”

“Oh!” the Doctor screamed, making everyone jump in surprise. “It's the New Byzantine Calendar.”

“The codes are completion dates for each section.” Donna was now looking more and more excited, jumping on what the Doctor was saying, making him smile more like a madman by the second. “They finish it, they stamp the date on. So the numbers aren't counting down, they're going out from here, day by day, as the city got built.” 

“Yes. Oh, good work, Donna.” The Doctor had a pleased expression, even if Rose had didn’t really followed what happened. And at the face of Tony she was not the only one. 

But the redhead was not finished. “Yeah. But you're still not getting it. The first number I saw back there, was sixty twelve oh seven seventeen. Well, look at the date today.” 

“Oh seven twenty four.” The Doctor shook his head in pure disbelief. “No.” 

“Ok, can someone explain what’s going on to those in the room who don’t know what you’re talking about?” asked Tony with Rose nodding in the background.

The face of the Doctor dropped, becoming somber by the second. “Seven days.”

“That’s it. Just seven days,” Donna echoed him in a manner of confirmation.

Rose rolled her eyes. She was seriously fed up with all the mystery. Would it kill someone to be straightforward sometimes? “And what exactly do you mean by seven days?”

“Seven days since war broke out,” the Doctor answered simply. “This war started seven days ago. Just a week. A week!”

Tony frowned, sitting down on of the nearby boxes. “No, that’s not possible. They told us years.”

“No, they said generations,” Donna answered gently. “And if they're all like you, and they're products of those machines.” 

“They could have twenty generations in a day. Each generation gets killed in the war, passes on the legend,” commented the Doctor, not really looking at anything, already calculating something in his head. “Donna, you're a genius.” This made Donna smile proudly.

“But…” Rose was confused. She specifically remembered the antiquated look of the machinery when they pushed her arm in. “Everything is in ruin.”

“No, they're not ruined,” replied the Doctor as he took out his specs already getting into his ‘teacher mode’. “They're just empty. Waiting to be populated. Oh, they've mythologised their entire history. The Source must be part of that too.” He helped Tony get up and nudged Donna. “Come on.”

They began to walk in silence, everyone mulling over the revelation before literally running into Martha as they were turning a corner. They looked at each other in surprise for a few seconds before Martha jumped into the Doctor’s embrace.

“Doctor!” she exclaimed, happy to be reunited with her friends. 

“Martha!” the Doctor squealed with delight while returning her hug with happiness. “Oh, I should have known you wouldn't stay away from the excitement.”

“Martha!” Rose nudged the Doctor - who protested loudly about who was being the rude one this time - out of the way. She hugged Martha, happy to see her alive. “Oh god I’m so happy to see you! I was so anxious when I didn’t see you after the dust cleared.”

Martha smiled fondly, touched by Rose’s concern. “I was okay, don’t worry.”

“Oh, you're filthy. What happened?” asked Donna as Rose stepped back.

Martha shrugged. “I, er, took the surface route.”

The only person not really approaching Martha was Tony, preferring to stay in the background, not really sure about what he was supposed to do in this situation. But he still smiled at Rose, who looked at him with a slight motherly concern when she realized that he was not beside them.

But the moment was broken when multiple shots and screams were heard from behind the wall, indicating that the confrontation was well on its way.

“So...Time to stop a war?” Rose asked cheekily to the Doctor, who only smiled in response, taking her hand as a sure gesture. And just like that, they started running just like old times.

They were waiting for war and horror, but were surprised to drop in a middle of vast space filled with flower and life, making them all stop in surprise.

“Wow that’s...Beautiful!” Tony said reverently as he looked around in fascination. Overwhelmed by all the beauty around him. And Rose could only wordlessly agree with him as she brushed a few flowers.

“Is that the Source?” asked Donna as she walked up to a glowing globe on a pedestal with wires running to it.

“What is this place?” Martha asked as she looked around curiously.

The Doctor took out his sonic and guided all around the globe Donna was trying not to touch. “Terraforming. It's a third generation terraforming device,” he said while deciphering the reading of the sonic.

Donna opened her mouth to finish asking her earlier question, but she was interrupted by the Hath and the soldiers running in from opposite sides trapping them in the middle of the conflict.

“Stop! Hold your fire!” the Doctor commanded, jumping in front of a startled Donna as the rest of the group gathered around them ready for a fight. Especially Tony and Rose, who had her weapon out.

But Cobb didn’t care about the Doctor’s pleading as his weapon was still directed in the Hath’s direction. “What is this, some kind of trap?” he asked with venom in his voice.

“You said you wanted this war over,” answered the Doctor with his head held high. Like everytime he was sure he had won. And that only increased Rose’s anxious state, as she knew how that ended most of the time.

And she was right to be worried, as Cobb was clearly not in a peaceful mode. “I want this war won,” he spat, his weapon now aimed directly at the Doctor, making Rose and Tony instantly move aside to try and protect him. But the Doctor only pushed them aside, taking a step forward, a speech already on his lips.

“You can't win,” he began passionately. “No one can. You don't even know why you're here. Your whole history, it's just Chinese whispers, getting more distorted the more it's passed on.” He moved around, trying to touch as much people as possible, fully immersed in his role. “This is the Source.” He pointed to the globe. “This is what you're fighting over. A device to rejuvenate a planet's ecosystem. It's nothing mystical. It's from a laboratory, not some creator. It's a bubble of gases. A cocktail of stuff for accelerated evolution.” 

Rose looked around, realizing it was working as more and more people were starting to lower their weapons. Even their group, who knew the Doctor and what he was capable of, were enthralled by his words, making her have faith once again that this would end well.

“Methane. Hydrogen. Ammonia. Amino acids. Proteins. Nucleic acids. It's used to make barren planets habitable. Look around you. It's not for killing, it's bringing life. If you allow it, it can lift you out of these dark tunnels and into the bright, bright sunlight. No more fighting, no more killing.” And after a few seconds of silence, as everyone was looking at the life around them, he took out the globe and smiled. “ I'm the Doctor, and I declare this war is over.” Then without another word, he throwed the globe onto the floor where it exploded and released gas and energy. 

As everyone watched it slowly rise up, they started to put down their weapons one by one, fascinated by the ballet around them. All except Cobb.

“What’s happening?” Tony asked as he stood beside the Doctor, looking with a childlike delight as the different light and movement.

The Doctor smiled at him, then his eyes found Rose’s eyes who was radiating happiness. “The gases will escape and trigger the terraforming process.”

“And what does that mean?” Tony inquired.

He looked at Donna who was amusing herself with one of the particule, and then to Martha who was laughing with one of the Hath and felt peace for the first time in a long time. “It means a new World.”

Rose and the Doctor were looking at each other once again, soft looks in each of their eyes, soaking in the brief happiness, when the Doctor was suddenly pushed aside by a blur. As he hit the ground hard, he heard the unmistakable sound of a bullet being shot from someone’s weapon and felt his blood ran cold. 

Rose had heard a grunt, realizing what happened just as she saw the second body crumbling into himself. He seemed to hit the floor in the slowest motion possible, his blood already spilling into the soil.

“TONY NO!” She screamed in horror.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Please don't kill me?


	13. Chapter 13

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Hello all! The chapter you were waiting for. Like always don't forget to tell me what you think of it! I love feedback.  
> High five to my beta penandpaper83! She's the best.

**chapter 13:**

Rose fell to her knees beside Tony after rushing as his side as soon as she had screamed his name, the rest of the world already forgotten. Her vision only focused on her son, who was lying in his own pool of blood. 

She touched him everywhere, trying in her panic to stop the blood flow that wouldn’t stop, completely frozen by the fact that her son was motionless in front of her. Logic told her that there was no hope for Tony. However in that moment she was a mother trying to save her child, not the soldier always cold under the pressure that UNIT knew so well. “Tony! Oh my god, Tony! Talk to me!” she ordered in a tortured voice, her hands pushing harder on his shoulder, the point of impact if the blood stains were any indication. 

Tony suddenly coughed, his whole body jerking up as the adrenaline started to kick in under the pain. “Bloody hell that hurt!” he complained with a grimace. He tried weakly to look in direction of the injury but movement in that area was too painful for him. 

“Langage,” Rose admonished with humor, but all too happy to hear his voice and see him moving, even if he was in complete agony in doing so.

“Is the Doctor okay?” Tony asked with innocent eyes, making Rose chuckle brokenly as she brushed his face with gentleness. Her son, too much like her, his heart already on his sleeve and ready to put his life on the line for the Doctor. How could she have doubted even for one second he was not hers?

“I’m okay, Tony,” the Doctor assured him with a weak yet relieved smile, his face appearing beside Rose. They exchanged a look before focusing again on the man in front of them. “How are you feeling?” He had sonic out already while scanning him at the same time. Worry visible is his eyes. Making the brief relief Rose had felt at seeing him disappear instantly. 

“Not so good…” Tony answered, his face losing color by the second, even with the sonic working on his shoulder. 

Rose cradled his head in her hands, locking her eyes onto him. “Be strong, my boy. You still have so much to see and learn! You’ll be the greatest I’m sure! Running from star to star, laughing at everything and making me proud. You can’t miss that can you?” She knew she was crying, but how could she not when her son was fading with each passing moment.

“You clearly inherited Rose obstinate nature. And combined with my TARDIS, I’m sure you will be unstoppable!” continued the Doctor, working endlessly on his wound, smiling brightly at his new friend. “It’s in your genes to be the stuff of legend! Just like your mum! Did I told you about the time when she had overrun the King of the planet Helroz three by accident, and declared planetary peace who lasted for hundred of years without realizing it?” His emotions was showing more and more as the smile on Tony’s face dropped. 

“No, but I would love to hear about it,” Tony answered weakly, his face looking ashen. “Oh that’s beautiful!” he continued with wonder as nature was growing and spreading all around him. 

“Yes.” Rose was crying openly, smiling broadly to him as she was feeling her heart break and her soul scream in agony. But she needed to be strong for him. Sending him force with all her being, trying to make a difference in the inevitable outcome she was seeing right now. She knew that the Doctor was doing his best. But she also knew that sometimes it wasn’t enough. “And you can’t miss that, right? You need to see the beauty that the planet will become. Terraforming, it’s an one time experience and you don’t want to miss that!”

“Well, technically with the TARDIS you can,” the Doctor tried to make a joke, wanting above all to keep Tony awake, and to focus on something to keep him from letting his frustrations loose on the world around him. Today was not the day that he would lose this precious life. 

“See? So you need to hold on,” Rose plead, but to her horror she Tony’s body going limp on her. “Tony? You hear me?” She shook him, without result. “...Tony?” She said, her voice breaking on his name. But she was suddenly pushed aside by Martha, who had been looking helplessly on the side until then. 

“He’s going into shock!” Martha declared. “We need to stabilize him!” She was now only focused on the person in front of her. Determined for him to leave with them alive and well. Because she knew at the moment that she could save four hearts today, or break them all. And that was not an option, not after everything that happened.

“I think one of the arteries had been hit, but I’m not totally sure. I tried to stop the bleeding and clot everything with my sonic. But I think the bullet is still inside,” said the Doctor, visibly living to his name and wanting to staying that way.

But Rose was not listening to the conversation anymore, because all she could see was the blood. She could see it everywhere and on anyone, coating her field of view and invaded her mind, waking the beast inside her. The smell of blood was deep into her nostrils, making her dizzy with the sudden urge to run and howl. The old Rose would have been terrified by what’s inside her mind at the moment, running to the Doctor to stop it before it happened. If she had still been at UNIT, she would have isolated herself to focus on every trick she had learned during the years. But right now? Right now her limit had been pushed. So far and so deep she could not even see the line anymore. All she could see was the man responsible for what was becoming her personal tragedy. The man who wanted war so badly that peace was treated like a disease. The man who shot an innocent man, just to be sure to taint the innocent beauty around him. All just to prove that he could. But she would show him that he was not the only one ready to shed blood for poetic gesture.

She turned her eyes to him, an ominous smirk appearing on her face. Her whole body now focused on him, ready to torn it to piece if she wanted. She knew her power and what was trying to unleash inside her. She had made peace with it a long time ago, knowing how to reign it most of the time. But today, compassion and empathy dissolved like dust into the wind.  

If the Doctor had not been so strongly focused on Tony, he would had been horrified by what she was. She was definitely not the Rose who had shown love to a dying Dalek. That part of her, that innocence had died a long time ago. But right now, the turmoil which was taking over Rose Tyler was clearly not noticeable to the Doctor, who was trying his very best to save the life of young Tony. Later, much later, he would see it as the occasion that triggered the unstoppable chain of events that changed the universe itself. And he would forever regret not seeing the obvious signs in front of him before hell broke loose. 

But right now Rose was still fighting the war inside herself. And she was able to see fear in the eyes of the general in the split second before she was on him, her weapon drawn and ready to shoot. She had took everyone by surprise. She moved so rapidly that nobody had saw her advancing on him. Before he even had time to take a breath, she had him pinned against the wall with such a determination that he could not have moved even if he tried, not without struggle at least. 

“Give me one reason not to kill you,” Rose said in a voice so cold and distant that the few men around them took a few steps back. 

“Because you want peace,” Cobb answered with a smirk. In his arrogance, he was neglecting to realize that she was giving him a chance at mercy, and he was spatting it in her face. “You are just a pathetic pacifist without any ounce of fight inside her.”  

“Don’t push me,” Rose growled, her body going tense under the pressure of the warfare in her mind. She knew she could kill him right in that instant. With her bare hand if needed. But she was totally uncertain of the casualty if her control slipped with that level of emotions inside her. She still had nightmares of the last time it happened. 

Cobb continued to smirk, always arrogant until the end. Determined not to show emotions in front of his men. “I could have killed you. I could have let you rot like the dog you are.” At that Rose pushed her weapon with more force into his chin, struggling hard to keep the control. Letting Cobb think she was showing sign of weakness, making him hit as hard he could in his cockiness. “You are just lucky I was merciful. But then one day you will find a fish much bigger than you. And then you will finish your pathetic son. Dead in a ditch.”  

Rose knew it was all for show. That he only wanted to have the last word before he accepted whatever fate planned for him. She had saw the fear in his eyes and the uncertainty around him. But all she could see was Tony, fighting for his life when this man didn’t have any ounce of remorse. She tried, she had really tried to resist, and to be the better better person. 

But now she knew it was too late. The angered beast had broken free, and she would not risk her sanity for him. And in a blink of an eye, she was Rose no more. Her weapon fell on the ground, suddenly useless, as she grabbed his neck with force. She pushed him up the wall with such a force that he had to stay on his tiptoe to avoid choking. Upon witnessing this everyone had scattered a few meters back, afraid of the vibes coming off of Rose.

As soon as she felt the switch in her, the wolf unfurling claw by claw, the man who had glanced around cockily until then started to look terrified. Eventually losing enough color that he was white a sheet.  

“What are you?” he croaked out miserably, as she was smiling gleefully enjoying the sheer terror about him. 

“She wanted to show you mercy, even after you tried to harm those precious to her. Even after you would not repent your sins against the innocent.” Rose’s voice changed just then, mirroring the change within her body. “I am the one you should never wake…” She growled, “you don’t know when to stop pushing, do you?” Her head tilted to the side, as if she were pondering something. “She’s not one to kill without very good reason you know. She tried her very best to stop me, but you broke every limit.” She smiled ferally, making the colonel thrash around more forcefully, trying his very best to escape this nightmare, his eyes going crazy under the fear. “Congratulations. You’re the first one in...so so long…” She tightened her grip around his neck, making Cobb give off strangled puffs of air as he was slowly going limp. 

“Rose!” She could hear from far away. “Rose no!” she heard the voice again, going at her like she was immerged underwater. But all she could see was the man in front of her, but slightly blurry, as if she was observing from behind a glass. A spectator in her own body. She was completely detached from that reality, and she didn’t even really care. Around her was a vast of nothingness. “Martha! I need you to get her! Donna, please calm everyone!” The voice was still screaming, but she couldn’t understand why. It was so peaceful. Seeing the light going gradually dimmer seemed so normal to her at that moment. 

But her thoughts and placidness were abruptly shattered by the sudden apparition of Martha who was grabbing her, trying her best to make her release her grip on Cobb, screaming into her ear to drop him. She felt herself turn her head and the vision of a Martha looking very frightened of her, shook her enough to make her snap her out of the state she was in. As soon as she felt herself, she dropped Cobb with horror, who collapsed with laboured breath. She took a few step back, completely horrified about what happened. 

But before she could even start to think about the fact that “she” was ready to once again take a life without remorse, she was suddenly in very strong pair of arms. Arms who belonged to a Doctor visibly divided between clear rage and intense worry. 

“What were you trying to accomplish Rose?!” he asked in a voice lined with fury, his eyes going so hard she could almost see her other Doctor in one of his fits of anger. 

“I...I…” she stammered, still shaken by what happened. “I don’t know.” She looked around, and realized how far back the others stood. Were they were also afraid of her? She almost began sobbing then and there, still not totally sure of the damage she had done. “Tell me I didn’t kill anyone?” she begged, her stare full of unleashed tears, making him waver.

He let her out of his arms, making her falter for a second. “No. You just let out your anger out on Cobb, but he will live. He needs a little time to recover but no lasting effect as far as I can tell.”

She searched around frantically. “Oh my god! Tony! Where is he?”

“He is going to live. We were able to stabilize him and stop most of his bleeding. That’s why I sent Martha over to you. I needed a little more time to lock the bullet in place. Just enough to let me stabilize him enough to have him moved to the TARDIS to take it out.” He rubbed at his eyes, his whole body screaming guilt. “I should have been the one to take this bullet.”

“No!” Rose replied with fervor, making him look at her with surprise. “No one should have had to take that bullet.” Especially not the Doctor in her opinion. If it had been him and he would have ended up having to regenerate. She was not sure if the place would have been left standing. 

“You almost killed a man, Rose.” He started to pace around, nervously agitating his hands around, making her slightly dizzy. “I know you love Tony. I love him too. But if Martha had not stopped you…” He stopped and looked her directly in the eyes, with such helplessness she wanted to cry. Or scream. “You would have watched him die. Rose you almost murdered a man in cold blood. I know you’re better than that!”

“I know!” Rose screamed, making everyone jump a few feet in the air. Except for the Doctor, who was still unflappable and wrapped around his indignity. Making her shake with anger. As if he had been better than her. “Yes I know! And do you think I’m proud of this? Yes, I lost control! Do you want me to promise that it will never happen again?” She saw the brief glimpse of hope in his gaze. But she was not one to feed empty promises. “No I can’t. Because I don’t even know myself! It’s who I am now Doctor. Like I told you, i’m not the Rose you knew.  You have to understand that.” She felt her shoulder slump, and she was tired beyond words. She was still very afraid for Tony, horrified about what happened and with the Doctor still stuck in the past. She just wanted to go home. She turned around, not wanting to fight with him anymore but she was stopped by a gentle hand in his arm, pleading silently to look at him. Just one last time. 

As she met his gaze, she saw a new determination on him. 

“Maybe you are not that Rose Tyler anymore… And I’m beginning to see that.” He sighed, pushing his hands through his hair with a resigned face. “I cannot say that it’s not something I’m happy about, because I’m not. And with you going…” She turned her face around, not wanting to see his stare at the moment. “We don’t have much time right this moment, can we can still talk later?” 

“Yes, we can still talk. But you still want the old Rose back, I understand that, but I don’t know if I can give it to you. You’ve seen what happened. I lost control and almost murdered someone. You don’t need someone like that with you. Even if for a few days.” She was resigned to her fate, to go back to her life and isolate herself from everyone. Just like before. And maybe this time she will be stable enough to complete her mission without breaking down at the sight of the Doctor.

“It’s your choice Rose,” he murmured before turning his back to her. “I’m going back to Tony, I think they had enough time to move him to the TARDIS now.” He threw her one last smile, visibly trying his best to make her think he was alright. “If you change your mind, you know where to find me.” And then just like that, he was gone. 

As she started to break down, having waiting to be alone for that, she felt a presence beside her, making her turn around suddenly. Her whole body ready to fight, because the last time she had lost control like that, the aftermath had not been pretty. But it was only Donna, who looked at her with kind eyes and an inviting smile. 

“Why are you not afraid?” asked Rose, surprised to see someone wanting to be beside her voluntary.

“I’ve seen way worse, blondie.” she responded with humor. “And I think that right now what you need is a friend.” And then she sat down beside her, showing her that she was not going anywhere. She didn’t say anything but for Rose it was more than enough. Maybe she was not the total monster she thought she was. 

The Doctor on the other hand was more than conflicted. He abhorred violence, and killing was something he avoided at all cost. Seeing Rose so cold and so careless with a life was a real turning point for him. He had hoped since he had lay eyes on her again that they could maybe have something again. Just like before. He was so certain his Rose was not far from the surface. But how could someone so full of life and empathic change that much? It was impossible for him. But then, this happened. He really wanted to give her a chance, especially when she seemed so broken and dejected. But he was not sure he could see past her hand around the Cobb’s neck, ready to see him die at her feet.  

Rose Tyler was someone from the past. And effectively maybe the best course of action should be let her be and move on. But deep inside him was still that man who needed her oh so badly, he was ready to die without her. And right now? He was not certain who was winning in this fight.


	14. Chapter 14

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hello everyone! I know it's been a long time. I was supposed to post a few weeks ago after my holidays but I had some big medical issue and was unable to write or even think about it. I'm really sorry. I will try to do my best to post the next one sooner. I said try because I'm still under a lot of pain so it's not really easy...But I will try my best! Also I hope you will like this chapter! Like always don't forget to tell me what you think of it! I love feedback.  
> Thanks to my beta penandpaper83. I don't know what I will do without her.

**Chapter 14**

“You know you’ll have to talk eventually…” Donna said as Rose was still staring at the wall. She had not moved for almost one hour, worrying Donna to no end.

Donna had tried to be understanding and let her have space, but now the silence was starting to be really concerning. To her, Rose looked just like the Doctor when he was in one of his very dark moods. Which was not something to take lightly. The last time she made that mistake, she almost lost her best friend before she had time to know him. And she would not repeat that mistake again. Even if she had to open old wound again, it was for a friend’s sake.

“I understand what you’re feeling right now, Rose. When my dad had his heart attack...The agonizingly slow wait for news... It was the worst, and I honestly thought I would go crazy,” she swallowed hard at the memories. “You can’t do anything run everything through your head over and over again.” For a moment she was back in that little privacy room. “What you could have done to prevent it. Saying to yourself ‘what if’ over and over again until you drive yourself mad.” She felt her voice crack on the last word. Memories of her mother wailing into her aunt’s arms as the Doctor informed them that they could not do anything more. The scent of sickness all around her, and then the sudden numbness when she realized that she would never see her dad again.

As she was trying not to lose herself to that day again, she saw that Rose had finally moved, looking at her with such sad ancient eyes she felt the weight of old tear in her soul. “I thought I would go crazy not knowing. And I probably would had if not for my grandad.” She smiled weakly to Rose, who was still looking at her in silence. Showing her support by just being there. “I’m sure you would love him, he’s such a silly old man.” She chuckled, more at the memory of Wilf than anything else. “If not for him, I don’t know where I would be. Or my mom.”

Rose finally stood and sat beside Donna, making sure that she was listening. “I lost my dad, but your son is still alive. And knowing the Doctor, he will do everything he could to keep it stay that way. Yes, you did something not really pretty, and your anger was pretty terrifying.” Rose looked away in guilt at Donna’s words, but Donna was having none of that. “But we all did some things back there that we’re not proud of. But that’s life.” Rose started to open her mouth to respond, but before she could say something, approaching footsteps behind them made her suddenly turn around and jump to her feet making Donna turn around at Rose’s actions.

“Well?” Rose asked anxiously over Donna’s shoulder, making the redhead realize that Martha had entered without her noticing it.

Martha gave them an exhausted smile. “He is going to live,” she promised with a rejoiceful voice. “The Doctor is still with him, but I wanted to tell you the good news.” She just had time to finish her sentence before being brutally hugged by a sniffling Rose.

“I knew that man would do something good!” Said proudly Donna, visibly so happy for her friend.  
“Oh Donna, the Doctor asked me to have you go back to the TARDIS! He needs you for something,” Martha said over Rose’s shoulder, who was still hugging her very tightly. She saw Donna hesitate, looking at Rose with indecision. “Don’t worry, I’ll take care of her,” she mouthed, making Donna relax and smile. She nodded one last time, and with a pat on Rose’s shoulder, she left for the Tardis. Leaving her two friends alone.

After a few seconds, Rose disentangled herself from Martha with an embarrassed shrug. “Sorry...I was a little emotional.”

Martha shrugged as well. “Don’t worry, I totally understand. I can imagine it was stressful for you.” She smiled reassuringly. “But the Doctor told Tony that he was going to be completely okay in a couple of days. He is going to be groggy for a couple of hours, and his shoulder will be a little tender. But there’s going to be no after effects.”

Rose eyes widened, her whole body going rigid, ready to bolt towards the TARDIS. “Tony is awake?” But before she had time to move away, Martha was grabbing her, urging her to not run away.

“No wait, I need to talk to you!” Martha saw the look of uncertainty in Rose’s eyes, making Martha realize that Rose was not her friend at the moment but Tony’s mom. “I swear Tony is doing good, but the Doctor still needs a few minutes to finish with him. Just stay with me a little, and then I swear I’m going to take you to the TARDIS, and let you see your son.”

Rose relaxed, but still looked at Martha with a touch of skepticism, not really sure on what she wanted to talk about so desperately. She really hoped that Martha would not ask questions about what happened earlier, because she was not really sure she wanted to talk about it. Especially not if she would be talking to the Doctor later about the very same thing. “Okay… What about?”

Martha sat on one of the broken low walls, patting the spot next to her in invitation. After a few seconds of hesitation, Rose finally joined her. “I know it seems a little weird for you, but I know what will happen if I don’t do anything.” She sighed as Rose looked at her curiously at that comment. “If I don’t say anything then nothing will change, and when this is all over you’ll go back to UNIT as some mysterious soldier going all around the world. I’m going to be the doctor who dreamed of stars and the Doctor… Well the Doctor…” She looked pensively at the ceiling where a few traces of glowing energy were still visible. “He’ll continue on living, bickering with Donna and showing the universe to Tony. Life will go on. Maybe one day you two will cross paths again. Who knows? Especially with Tony on team TARDIS? But one thing is certain...”

“What?” Rose asked, although she was sure she knew the response already.

Martha looked at her with so much sadness, Rose had to look away. “You’ll both end up so miserable, but so stubbornly sure each is doing the right thing that it’s going to drive you away from each other again and again until only memories are left. And I can’t do that to you, and even less to the Doctor, not after what I had to see him go through,” Martha finished with a determined voice.

Rose looked at Martha with curiosity. “What do you mean?”

“I travelled with him for almost two years, three if you count the year that never was. The first thing he talked about when I first crossed the door of the TARDIS was you. I didn’t even knew if that ship had room but I already knew your name. And then he showed me the wonders of the universe. But you were still there somewhere, always in the front of his mind. I would ask him something and he would talk about you. Travelling with him was like travelling with a ghost, I was hardly second best for him. Because you were everywhere with us, it was like I was transparent for him. You know how hard it is to see so much wonder, and realize that he would trade everything in an heartbeat to be there with someone else?” She rubbed her eyes tiredly. “Even when he forgot who he was all he could think was you.”

“I’m sorry,” Rose answered softly. She didn’t know what to say honestly. “I didn’t go by choice you know.”

Martha gave a small humorless chuckle. “I know, don’t worry. Even the Master knew. But my point is: you can’t just leave like that. Not if it means seeing him slip back into his way, it was too heartbreaking to see. I don’t ask you to stay with him. Just that you talk to him. Please, Rose.”

“Do you know how long I was in that other universe? How long I was separated from the Doctor?” Rose challenged as her voice cracking a little under the emotions.

Martha started to think about it, realizing her question was more loaded than she anticipated. “You told us before that you came back a little earlier than expected, but you don’t look that old. I had you at 28 years old. So six, maybe seven years?” She wasn’t really sure about Rose’s response, not that she really knew Rose that well. Only what what she saw during the year that never was, and what the Doctor decided to tell her.

Rose laughed, but more at the situation than the guess that Martha just gave. “43 years. Give or take a few months, I’m not certain at this point.”

Saying that Martha was shocked was an understatement. The Doctor always told her that Rose was human! He even told it to Jack! How could she had been separated that long without aging even by a little? “How?” Was all she could ask.

Rose shrugged, looking around with a false look of relaxation, like she didn’t have a care in the world. “Bad Wolf.” She said simply.

“Bad Wolf?” Martha asked with a confused expression, “as in the wolf from the Red riding hood story?”

“When I was Nineteen…” Rose continued as if Martha wasn’t speaking. “I did something very dangerous to save the Doctor. I pried opened the heart of the TARDIS.” She ignored Martha’s gasp of surprise. “And it did something to me… I didn’t realize at first, but then after a few years I stopped aging. That’s why I can’t stay with the Doctor. He is going to blame himself, and I can’t let him do that.”

“So, you’re going to leave him without any explanation, and let him think it’s because he failed you completely? How is that better in any sort of way?” Martha asked with a frown and judgemental glare. God how those two people were able to even be in the same vicinity, and somehow manage to communicate without any misunderstanding was a goddamn miracle. “Please just talk to him. I’m not asking you to move back into the TARDIS, but at least explain your point of view.”

Rose stood quickly, making Martha jump under the surprise. “I can’t tell him what has become of me! I can’t!” She started to move around, her stress visible in every step and turn. “This is absolutely not something he can know. And I have my mission and…!” She started hyperventilating, her control going out again. As she felt her head going light, she was suddenly engulfed in a hug and steered against the wall, where she could crumble without hurting herself. After a few minutes, she realized that Martha was talking to her in a low voice, helping her going back into herself without hurting herself or those around her.

“Don’t worry, we are not going to tell the Doctor. You are just going to let him talk, and then explain your point of view, and then you are going to see. Nobody is going to force you do anything I promise,” she said in a calming voice, not letting her go from the hug. When she realized that Rose was not shaking anymore, she started to release her little by little. “Better?” she asked in a kind voice.

Rose disengaged herself, embarrassed by her outburst of emotions. She looked up at her new friend with a nervous look, realizing that she had probably shown more emotions and instability in the last 24h than in the last ten years. She really hoped that the new companions didn’t view her as some sort of broken and hysterical girl unworthy of the Doctor. “I’m usually more balanced. I swear,” she promised in a vain tentative of humor.

Martha shrugged. “You forgot that this is not the first time that I’ve met you. I’ve been with you during the year that never was, I had time to know you without any interference from the Doctor.” She smiled. “Well kinda. You just went an hard time, and with what you lived it’s not hard to understand why. I mean everybody would be a little unstable in your situation. You suddenly met the Doctor after more than forty years, and that’s still hard to wrap my head around that… I mean I have so many questions. When did you realize you were suddenly not aging? And how were you not able to return to where you were from?”

Rose grabbed Martha, who just kept rambling question after question. “Martha, I’m sorry to tell you this but I don’t think it’s the time to discuss all that. I want to see Tony and you are right. I have to talk to the Doctor. We can’t end things badly. Not again.”

“Yes, you’re right. Come, I’m going to guide you to the TARDIS, they moved it when the terraforming was working it’s magic.” With a nod of her head, she began to lead the way. They started to walk in silence for a minute before Martha said, “I’m sorry for earlier, you know. It’s just I heard so much about you and finally having you in front of me, I had so many questions.”

“I’m normal you know,” Rose protested, but after a few seconds of silence, she realized what she just had said. “Well mostly. But it’s been years since I did something really out of the ordinary. I’m trying my best to stay out of trouble. Even with UNIT it’s sometimes hard. Especially when you know what will happen and you cannot do anything to change the outcome.”

“But earlier I saw you.” Martha stopped for a second, making Rose falter in her own movement. “Your eyes, they were gold.” As they continued walking, she realized that her friend was blushing hard.

“I’m really sorry…” Rose said in a little voice, averting her eyes. “It hasn’t happened in such a long time, it took me by surprise. I’m much better at keeping it at bay, but too much in too little time and it had to break free. I’m just happy that I didn’t kill anyone.”

“It’s something that happens regularly?” Martha asked in an horrified voice. Not for Rose but about what she went through. “Can we do something to help?”

“Only a handful of time but now I know how to control it.” Rose shrugged. “Most of the time. And we cannot do anything, it’s just a side effect of Bad Wolf. Well, right now I only have a suspicion at this point.”

“And I suppose you don’t want to talk to the Doctor about it?”

“No, never.” Rose felt that agitation begin to creep up again. “You have to swear you’ll never said a word about this to the Doctor. It’s only going to worry him, and then he will try to stop it! And that can’t happen!”

Martha looked puzzled, especially about the worry in Rose eyes. “You don’t want it to be gone? I imagine that you can control it, but that would not be better to not have it at all?”

“I’m here for a reason. I tried to explain it to the Doctor earlier, but it’s a little too complicated to tell in just a few sentences. But to be brief, something is destroying the multiverse and it will start from this one. The only thing I know is it’s going to be there soon. I don’t know how soon, but I’ll say in a few months at most and I’m not going to let Bad Wolf go when I’ll need it the most.” She shrugged. “For you it’s only the visible monster who tried to kill a man in cold blood, but for me it’s the constant companion who’s been in my life for decades. It’s not always easy but I’m not going to separate her from me. It would be like cutting out a part of myself. Just like if I told you to make your hand disappear. It’s the same feeling for me.”

Martha pondered on what Rose told her and realized that she was far from understanding that woman and what kind of implication she could have on the Doctor life. She had wanted more than anything to reunite those two, probably as much as Donna, but maybe she flung herself in something way too big for her for once. Even too big for the Doctor. But she had to do right for her friend, because she could not bear see him that broken again. “I’m sorry, I didn’t understood like that but you’re right. It’s clearly a situation I don’t know well so you need to do whatever you think is right.” She breathed in, braving herself, knowing it will probably the last time she could tell something to Rose before life will interfere again and she really needed to make her point of view clear.

As the TARDIS came into view, Martha stopped Rose one last time before letting her go to her son. “Listen, like I said it’s your life. You do whatever you want. But as a friend of the Doctor I really need to tell you this. For him it’s only been a few years. Nothing compares to you, I know.” She placed herself in front of Rose, completely blocking her view and keeping her in place, trying to showing how serious she was. “When you were left behind in that other universe, you were not alone. Your family was with you, helping you mend your broken heart. You had your whole world to fall back on, to make you hope and heal. The Doctor had nothing except a box and two broken hearts. Everything on this planet and even other was only a reminder of you. All he could see when he was looking at me was you. What you could have been, what you could have said. You were the ghost in the machine and I was the painful reminder that you were never going back.” She had a sad smile. “And like I said, even when he could not remember his own name, you were only what he could think about. That’s how deep he felt. You had forty three years to make peace with what happened. Him? Only maybe four. And one was spent with a sociopath who loved torturing him with memory of you. So please, go see him. But please, remember that when you had a whole system to fell back on, he only had himself.” And with a last smile and a quick hug, she was heading confidently towards the shed she saw the Hath trying to put together, happy to have said what she wanted to say. Maybe if she was lucky she would find Donna and tell her everything. She needed to tell the redhead about what happened. Because if even the discussion between the Doctor and Rose went south, she would need reinforcement.

Rose was frozen in place, still processing Martha’s little speech. She was ready to cry, her heart breaking under the pain that the Doctor had gone through. Martha had been right. When she lost the Doctor, she had lost part of her soul but she had her mom, dad and even Mickey to help her get back up. But the Doctor had nothing. Gallifrey was no more for a long time now, the family he found in Jackie and herself were suddenly gone like smoke. Only the TARDIS had remained. She had asked him on that beach what would happen for him, but she had hoped that after some time he would find someone else and heal. However, she didn’t realize that travelling with someone new would only be a reminder of everything he had lost. She felt a sudden urge to hug him hard and walked with determination towards the TARDIS. After crossing the threshold, she paused on the grating, hearing the gentle hum all around as she was welcomed by the most beautiful sign of the universe. Her son alive and smiling, like he wasn’t near death just three hours prior. He was looking with awe at the Doctor, who was so enthralled in the lecture he was giving that he didn’t realize that anyone had entered the TARDIS. After a few seconds she cleared her throat making both men jump in the air and turn around at the same time.

“Having fun I see?” she said with a tinkle in her eyes, her happiness shooting from every part of her body.

“Rose!” exclaimed the Doctor, as Tony tried to get up before flopping down again with a grunt, making her suddenly worried that Martha had not told the whole truth as to not trouble her.

Temporarily ignoring the Doctor, she moved forward until she was face to face with her son. As he looked at her innocently, she hesitantly touched his head with affection, not wanting to hurt him more than he already was, making him visibly relax with contentement. As she stroked him fondly, she looked at him from head to toe, trying to find any sign that he was not as well as Martha told her. She noted the arm bandaged, the sling supporting his shoulder and the Doctor hovering not far from him, only keeping quiet out of respect for her. But as she started to show signs of anxiety, she looked directly to the Doctor, who looked at her confidently and happily, making her realize that Tony was probably only suffering the aftereffect of a life saving operation and no real ill effect. Rationally, she knew that since he was awake and moving was a very good sign but she could not help but be a little anxious. She smiled nervously at the Doctor and diverted her eyes back to her son.

“Are you okay?” she questioned him, wanting to hear his voice above else.

“Just tired and rather uncomfortable. My shoulder is still bothering me, but the Doctor told me it’s going to be the case for a few days. But I’m just happy to be alive,” Tony answered with a smile, his eyes not totally focused, showing he was still feeling residual effect from his time in the infirmary.

Rose brought back a sob, not wanting to concern him with her emotions and smiled brightly. “I’m so happy to hear that. You are going to be back on your feet in no time, you’ll see.’ She looked at the Doctor, thanking him with a look and a smile before looking back to Tony. “The Doctor and Martha took good care of you.”

“Well it helps when you have someone as strong and stubborn as him,” the Doctor said with a touch of humor trying to make everyone smile. “I used an Argolexian technology to repair your shoulder and regenerate your arm rapidly. It’s going to be a little painful for a week or two, but after that you will have full use of it again.” He scanned Tony with the sonic screwdriver, mostly to show Rose that very fact. “Your vitals show that you came through the operation much more easily than normal.” He looked at Rose with another fond smile, making her blush under the intensity. “Like mother, like son.”

Before she could respond, they heard the door of the TARDIS fly open and Donna rushed through. “Hey, spaceman!” She smiled to Tony. “Glad to see you on your feet. Don’t scare us like that again, or help me god I’ll smack you so hard, your descendents will feel it.”

Tony paled while gulping with wide eyes. “I’ll be good.”

Donna nodded with severity and turned back to the Doctor. Rose had to turn around to not let Donna see the smirk that was threatening to evolve into a full laugh. She definitely liked her, and was very glad that the Doctor found her, even if she frightened her son half to death.  
“Cline and the Hath want to know if they could see Tony,” continued Donna, oblivious of the smile on Doctor and Rose face. “They heard that he was alive and on his feet again, and they want to see him.” She rolled her eyes. “Apparently, they want him to help create a peace treaty. I personally think it can wait a few days while he rests, but they were insistent. And Martha wanted me to ask, so here I am.”

“Let me guess,” said the Doctor with laughter in his voice. “She sent you because she was worried you’ll start intimidating everyone if she left you alone with them.”

Donna smirked. “Yes. Because for me that boy needs rest. Not to play referee to a band of idiots.”

“Hey!” Tony protested from the captain’s chair. “They are my people, and I want to help!”

Rose looked at him worried. “You just came back from surgery, you need time to get back on your feet. Rest and we will see tomorrow if you feel well enough to move around.”

“I feel just fine, Mum!” He turned to the Doctor, who was obviously not trying to get in the middle of his companions and their maternal instinct. “Right, Doctor?”

As the Doctor felt the piercing gaze of his two friends, he shuffled around nervously and scratched his neck absently “If he promises to not overdo himself, I don’t see why he couldn’t go see what they want” He felt Rose’s murderous glare on him making add swiftly, “But with moderation! Just a quick discussion and then back to bed!”

Tony pumped the air. “Yes!” He smiled at Rose. “So I can go?”

Rose sighed, sometimes she wanted to kill the Doctor. “Okay, but you stay with Donna and only for half an hour. Just to see what they want exactly and then back to the TARDIS. You need rest.” She crossed her arms, showing him that she was dead serious. Even if a snickering Donna in the background was lessening her effect a little.

Tony nodded eagerly and stood cautiously, noting Rose’s concern. She crossed the gaze of Donna, who smiled at her reassuringly. Promising without words that she would take care of him just like she would have done herself. As Tony was escorted by the Doctor, who was babbling excitedly at him. And with the look on Tony face, he was probably producing some last minute advice and recommendation to help him on the mediation between the two colonies.

And with a last wave from Tony and a last knowing look from Donna, they were gone. Rose realized she was now alone with the Doctor and as he walked back to the console and smiled at her with nervousness, she decided that it was now or never.

She took a deep breath and met his gaze with determination. Now or never she said again to herself, you owe him that. “Doctor, I think it’s time we talk.”


	15. Chapter 15

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hello all! New chapter. The discussion everyone (especially Martha and Donna lol) had been waiting for. For those who asked, I'm doing better, I'm not completely healed but it's on his way. Enjoy the chapter and don't forget to tell me what you think of it! Thank you.  
> My beta is as always the best ever. Thanks to her.

**Chapter 15**

As soon as she uttered those words, the smile on the Doctor face melted away, replaced by a look of fear and worry.

“I didn’t mean to…” he started to say, his voice gripping with dread. “I understand but..but…”

Realizing suddenly how her words could be taken, especially with how the last few discussions between them had gone, she had the sudden urge to smack herself right into the forehead. Sometimes she wondered how they had been able to communicate at all in the past without blowing up everything out of proportion.

“No, Doctor, I mean not about me leaving or anything like that,” Rose clarified as the Doctor relaxed at her words, his hand losing his grip onto the console. “Well, I mean we will have to talk about that, but that’s not what I want to talk at the moment.” She mimicked his infamous head scratch for a moment. “First of all, I haven’t properly thanked you for Tony… You did everything to save his life when I couldn’t.” She looked straight into his eyes for probably the first time since the incident a few hours ago. “Thank you, Doctor. I don’t know how I could repay you.”

The Doctor smiled gently, his face mellowing under her words. “Oh but you already have, you know. So many times,” he said with kind eyes, making Rose blush lightly under the undertone. “Well, if you count Abraskal X, I’d say that we are even!” he finished with a blinding smile making Rose snort at the memory.

“I didn’t save your life. At most I saved one of your converse.” She rolled her eyes at the image of the Doctor hopping on one foot, screaming at the little goblin who was running around with a bag of jelly babies and a mousetrap. “And the only thing I needed to do was ask the King nicely to give it back.” She started to think back about that moment. “By the way, you never said why you had a bag full of jelly babies in your pocket,” she mused.

He felt into the driver chair with absent gesture. “Converse… Life... I’d say it’s the same thing. So for me we are even. And for the bag, well let’s say that one of my past bodies was exceptionally fond of it and loved to hide them all over the place.” He smiled more to himself than to her. “I wonder what other things I will find in the future.” He looked at her brightly. “Do you know that I found a recorder from my second body in the bathroom of the Abydos chamber? The one with the non-gravity swimming pools!”

As Rose was ready to retort a witty response about that time where he had almost drowned Jack in one, she suddenly realized that he was trying to divert her attention by any means possible. Just like when she had been travelling with him. Everytime she had tried to have an important conversation with him or discuss past event, he had swiftly changed the subject or derailed the discussion enough for her to forget about it.

And she almost fell right into it. Just like when she was 20. She knew that she should be annoyed or even a little angry at him, but she couldn’t because she knew that he was scared, at least as much that she was right now. But she knew that was something that could not wait any longer. Because if so, they will never do it. And like Martha said, probably lose each other in the process. And with her life, her mission and everything in between, it was something she wanted to avoid. At least for the current moment.

“Doctor…” she said with a gentle voice. “We really need to talk.” The guilty look he had for a second was enough for her. “I think it’s time you don’t say?”

He sighed and after a last look into the ceiling he stood up. “You are right like always, Rose Tyler.” And with a small smile he started towards one of the corridors, not looking back to see if she was following. “The kitchen or the Library?”

She followed him, looking at his tense back. “The library. Less chance to be interrupted.”

He snorted. “With Donna? Yeah sure.” He opened his mouth to add something else before suddenly freezing in place and smacked himself in the forehead, making Rose jump at the sudden change of mood. “Oh we forgot the tea! We can’t go without tea!” He jumped around, a wild smile on his face, already changing corridors at alarming speed. “Start without me. I will be right behind you!” And just like that he disappeared. She looked around, still a little stunned at what just happened.

“I almost forgot about that,” she said to no one in particular, even if she could swear that the TARDIS was laughing in the background. She was ready to clapback a remark to the machine that had once been her home, when the door of the library appeared in front of her. She drew a sudden breath, surprised as the strong emotions taking hold of her body. She touched hesitantly the drawings around the frame, remembering doing the same thing so many years ago the first time she had seen it. It had been her first Doctor back then. Explaining to her what each drawing was supposed to mean. As she walked into the room, everything was a reminiscence of those times.

That couch when he had read Charles Dickens to her while she was wrapped up in his leather, smiling like a loon everytime he tried to do some different voice and failing miserably. The bookcase in the far end of the library when she had laughed until crying when the Doctor had tried to retrieve one of his physics book, and instead had tripped onto his converse and fell right into the purple plant from Zenevor, making him sneeze uncontrollably for three days. That table when Jack and her had an epic battle reenacting “A Midsummer Night's Dream” when the Doctor had forbidden them to enter the console room for a reason long forgotten.

She didn’t realized that she was crying until a soft hand brushed her shoulder in a clear sign of comfort, startling her with a gasp. When she turned around, she looked right into those ancient eyes full of compassion and pain. So much like herself she had to look away.

“I’m sorry,” she said hastily drying her eyes. “It’s just…”

He put the tray onto the coffee table, and placed himself in front of her, keeping a safe distance between them, not totally sure if he should touch her. “Don’t worry, Rose, I know.” He smiled in direction of a chair big enough to contain two people. “Do you remember when you decided that you wanted to read all of the Harry Potter in one go after I told you they did three different spin off?”

She smiled without realizing it. “We camped out for nine days on that chair.”

He scratched his ear. “Well technically seven days, eighteen hours and thirty-six minutes. But who’s counting?”

She pushed him playfully. “Hey, I’m sure if we count every time we had gone out to eat, or use the bathroom, it’s almost nine days!”

“If you say so!” But then his smile dropped, his face becoming more serious. “If you prefer we can go somewhere else. Just tell me. I think the Royal Garden is somewhere nearby. Or the little park that looks like the one we visited on Orion Six.” He turned around to grab the tray but was stopped by Rose.

“No, I’m okay now. I just needed a little time that’s all.” She looked rapidly around. “It’s just that piece has so many good memories for me. And for us.”

They looked at each other in silence for a few seconds before the Doctor grabbed one of the cups and gave it to her. “Your tea with two sugar and milk!” he said with a big smile, happy to show that he still remembered that.

“Thank you Doctor.” She shuffled awkwardly for a moment. “Actually now I take it with only one sugar.”

“Oh,” he said with surprise. “Do you uh… Do you want me to change it?” He started to make a move but she backed up a few steps, almost tripping on the armchair of the sofa.

“No. No, I’m good. Don’t worry!” She said with a pained smile. Now that the Doctor was starting to fully realize that Rose had really changed, the tension was now back with a vengeance.

After almost a full minute of them looking at each other in silence, becoming more restless by the second, the growing tenseness was suddenly broken by the sound of a bunch of bananas suddenly crashing down into the shelf dedicated to Martian mathematics, making them both jump a foot in the air.

They looked at each other incredulously before glancing in a same movement at the ceiling.

“Was that the TARDIS?” she asked with a mix of amusement and disbelief.

“Uh, I think so?” Said the Doctor as he took out his spec. He approached the bananas with caution and as he touched it, the light started to blink a few times. He turned around, the bananas still in his hand and smiled hard. “Yes, she’s the one doing it!” He said, proudly as Rose started to crack up before joining her in the laughter.

“Well it’s safe to say that we can add her to the list of people wanting us to talk,” said Rose with amusement.

He sighed as he walked to the couch and dropped into the plush cushions. the bananas in one hand and his tea in the other. “Let me guess...Donna? She also talked to you?”

“No. It was Martha,” she answered with a glint of humor in her eyes, realizing that even if the Martha’s speech had been very serious, they had been played on both fronts. But then her smile dropped, realizing that the moment had come. “But they are right. We really need to talk.”

He dropped the fruit onto the nearest surface and huffed, his whole body deflating with what about to come. “I know…”

She studied him as he drowned his tea in on go and realized that he was afraid of something. Was he afraid of her? “Are you… Are you scared of me?” she asked with a creeping apprehension. Did he see her earlier when she unleashed the Bad Wolf? Was that why he was trying so badly to stop any discussion?

He looked at her with an outraged look. “Never! What would you think that? I will never be afraid of you. Never, Rose!”

She turned her head in direction of the roof, not wanting the Doctor to see her tears. “So why aren’t you looking at me? Why are you trying so bad to not talk at all?”

“That was not my intention, Rose. I’m sorry.” He stood up, running his slightly shaking hands through his hair, making the strands stand in all directions. She almost smiled at the view but the pain of rejection and incertitude stopped every possibility of showing emotions. She knew it was not healthy, but at the moment it was not even on the fifteen things on the front of her mind. All she could think was of her fear over the Doctor recoiling from her. “It’s all my fault, and if I could change it I would. I swear.”

“What are you talking about, Doctor?” she asked gently, not really seeing where he wanted to go.

“I ruined your life, Rose, and I will forever hate myself for that sin. Without me you’d still have a normal life, your mother, Mickey. Without me you wouldn’t have…” his voice broke as he looked at her with desperation. “You would not have been a soldier.”

She jumped to her feet, not realizing that she had toppled her tea on herself, and in a second she was in front of him, punching him on the shoulder. “Never, ever something say something like that ever again!” She continued to advance on him, making him retreat until his back was against the wall, visibly terrified. “Don’t ever say that to my face! Don’t you dare think for one second I would change anything! You don’t get to take that away from me!”

“But Rose…” He tried again only to be interrupted again by a raging Rose Tyler.

“No! You know what would have happened without you? I would still be stuck in a life that I hated. My mom would still be chasing a love lost decades earlier. Mickey would never have seen what he was capable of. Yes, I turned into a soldier, but I’m a good damn one at that. But you know what else?” As the Doctor shook his head no, still afraid to say anything, Rose continued, “I earned a doctorate in quantum physics! I was the head trainer for Torchwood! Plus so many things that we don’t have time to list! The naive 19 year old Rose Tyler you knew was doomed to a dead end job, doomed to marry someone just because others told her that it would be the best thing for her, and ready to give up on anything outside of estate living. So don’t ever say that you’d change it. You saved me in so many ways, Doctor” She finished in a whisper, her eyes clouding with the memories of despair and desperation. Nineteen and already dying without realizing, no hope or expectation, just the belief that she was destined to end on the Powell Estate with children she would not want with a man she had no choice over on a job she hated most of the time. Yes while knowing the Doctor she had suffered more that you could imagine, lost everything three times over, lived heartbreak so excruciating she had sometimes wished for it to end all but not once she had regretted it. Because she was living life the way she wanted to.

As she stepped back lost in her own thoughts, the Doctor guided her to the couch again, gently guiding her to sit down. “Oh Rose, I would never do that to you. You are entitled to your life. It’s not my place to change it.” He smiled at her gently, stroking her back lightly in a gesture of comfort. “I just wish I would have done some things differently. But you are right, I didn’t see it from your point of view and--” He then suddenly stopped and straightened, looking at her with a stunned stare. “Wait! Did you say that you have a doctorate in quantum physics?!”

Rose blushed hard. “Well technically I have one in Pete’s World. Here it’s more--” But before she could finish, she was engulfed in a strong hug by an excited Doctor.

“That’s brilliant! I’m so proud of you, Rose!” he shouted almost jumping off the couch in his excitement, making Rose cling to him so she wasn’t thrown across the sofa by his wild gesture. “I knew you would do great things! I was so sure of it!”

The pride in his eyes after they pulled back a little was almost blinding, making her divert her eyes. “Thank you. Without you it would not have been possible.” She had suddenly a wicked smile. “Well I think my mom was more proud of it than me. She even had a Zeppelin floating a banner the day I received my diploma. It was really funny.”

“That’s so Jackie. I’m even surprised she did not buy a spot on the TV for that.” said the Doctor while smiling into her hair. Rose didn’t respond, only cuddled further onto his chest. They stayed that way for a few minutes, enjoying each other’s presence in silence. They knew it was only temporary, but it had been too long for either of them.

“I’ve missed you,” Rose finally admitted in a small voice which finally broke the silence.

“Me too, Rose, me too…” He pushed back a little, just enough to see her face. “How long has it had been for you?” he asked in a gentle voice.

“A few years,” Rose answered vaguely. With how he had been earlier, she had decided not to tell him everything in one go. It would be too painful for him, and he would blame himself to no end. And that was something she could not let happen. If she had to protect him from himself, then she would gladly do it without hesitation. “Martha told me it’s probably been three or four years for you.”

The Doctor scratched his chin absently. “Four years, one month, two weeks and three days. Approximately.”

“An eternity for us,” she said with humor as she habitually stretched out her legs onto his lap, making him take one of her feet and massaging it without realizing. Well things didn’t change she said to herself as he was visibly thinking about something.

“An infinitude,” he said with a voice so full of love and yearning, Rose gasped at the tone. He froze instantly, the implication lingering between them like a life sentence, and looked at her with wild eyes. Before she could even think about something, he was already up and occupying himself, turning his back to her “And how did you finish at UNIT?” he changed the subject as if he had not said anything just before.

Rose had two seconds of silence, still trying to wrap her head around what he had just said. She wanted to get up and confront him. She wanted to scream and cry. But she knew that even if emotions weren’t running high, the feelings were still there. Probably for the rest of their life. She could not delve into those feelings without huge repercussions and now was not the time, probably never even. So she just smiled and continued like nothing happened. “Like I said before, I was trying to pinpoint the source of the destruction of the multiverse, and my hopper fried during my last jump. Without any possibility to go back to the other universe, and knowing that I could not contact you without... well unraveling the web of time… I did the only logical thing I could. Search for others, and then I found UNIT! By the way thank god for Alistair Gordon Lethbridge-Stewart. Because without him and your shared history, I would have never been able to convince them that I knew you.”

He sat down again, but this time on the chair opposite of the couch Rose was on. “Remind me to thank him one time,” he mused with a smile before turning somber again. “But the most important thing is: what about the multiverse dying? Are you sure?”

She stood up straight, looking suddenly like the Rose he had seen earlier in battle, breaking his hearts a little more every time he saw it. “Oh, we are more than sure. Believe me. At first it was only two or three stars. And then it was ten. Then twenty disappeared until whole sections of the sky were completely black. We first through it was an issue with our atmosphere. With what happened with the cyberman it was a good possibility you know?” She shrugged. “So we sent satellites more tuned for that kind of thing. We talked to the alien community. That’s when we realized that everything was dying at an alarming path. Cracks in the fabric of time were now starting to pop up randomly all around the universe so we decided to send multiple probes at first, even to try and understand what the problem was. That’s when we realized that it was not just our universe, but all of them. Some we noticed too late and they were disintegrated completely, the walls so weakened that they were now only ashes and death. So we constructed a cannon to send a team to other universes to determine where the starting point was in all this.”

She paused for a second remembering the long nights, the different projects fizzling on them, the pressure from concerned government officials all around the world desperate for a response and a solution. It had been an hard time for everyone. “We searched for months, until we finally found that the point of origin was right here in this universe. So my intention was to find you and solve the issue. As Mickey and I were the only ones with real links to this universe we were dispatched to different point to try to find you. But during my last jump something happened, and my hopper had burnt out beyond any possibility of repair, so I was stranded here. Trying to go back to the other universe was extremely complicated, especially with the project going back to scratch here. So I joined UNIT and waited for the right moment. My objective was to find you when I was sure to not cause a paradox or any possibilities of reapers. But you found me first,” she finished with a smile.

The Doctor was severely conflicted on how he should feel after hearing her story. “Oh Rose, I don’t know know what to say.” He was torn between expressing just how much he was proud of her, and lecturing her about how she could have killed herself an hundred times over. That going intr-rift between universes could have killed her in an instant, or destroyed everything without realizing it. But knowing that his Rose, the Rose Tyler who never believed she could amount to anything when he had meet her, became an hero so bright and radiant that she was ready to lay down her life in an heartbeat if that mean saving the world. And not even the world, the multiverse! It made him continue to burst with pride and love for her.

Rose not realizing the predicament that the Doctor was now in, she continued like nothing was happening. “So, now you know exactly what happened, and why I have to leave you soon.”

“Leave me?” he screeched, surprised by Rose’s response to his disbelief. “But you just told me that you were waiting for me! That your objective was to find me and resolve everything!”

She took his hand, trying to calm him before he started to hyperventilate. “Yes, but here’s the tricky thing: I don’t know where or when it’s supposed to happen. I’ve deducted that it’s probably going to happen in a few months, but I’m not certain. But also, I can’t leave the Earth without knowing what will happen. What I wanted to do was to tell you everything, and stay on Earth to protect it while you found what is triggering this mess.” She really wanted to stay with him, continue like nothing had happened, as if she did not miss him for four decades. But it was too dangerous.

He smiled at her with hope. “You just said it yourself. You don’t know what will happen, or where it will happen.”

She looked at him curiously. “Yes…?”

“So why can we not search for it together? Just like old times! Shiver and Shake,” he said fondly before pausing for a second. “Well with Donna and Tony too. And Martha if she wants as well. So Shiver and Shake, whizzer and chips?” He looked puzzled. “That sounds weird right?”

She stroked his hand with a sad smile. “Doctor, I can’t. Like I said, I have a life and responsibilities. Others to take care of. I just can’t up and leave UNIT like that.”

He turned his head with a sigh to hide his disappointment. “I understand. So mmh I’m going to…” He stood up, taking the tray with him. “I’m going back to the kitchen.” He started to walk out when he straightened. “You should probably change yourself.” He gestured in her direction with clear discomfort. “You know with the tea and all.” And then he was gone.

She looked at herself and realized that she was covered in the tea she had toppled on herself, making her clothes a little more revealing than supposed. “Oh!” she said to herself as she started to blush.

As she started to move, she was surprised by the return of the Doctor, who looked like he had just sprinted from the other side of the TARDIS.

“By the way, Rose,” he started with a slow almost mischievous smile appearing on his face, “did I mention it also travels in time?”

She looked at him stunned for a second, before finally registering what he had just said. And then she could not help herself as she started to crack up like a madwoman, almost falling from the couch at the same time.

“Okay.” She said, finally calming herself enough to respond. She knew she shouldn’t do it and risk getting sucked back into this life when she had people depending on her back home. Everything was telling her that she should go back to Earth and forget about it. She still had that issue with Bad Wolf, her possible immortality, the stars going out, and of course her feelings for him. But at the moment all she could feel was her heart going out to him, the man in front of her, looking at her with so much hope and faith. Laying everything in front of her just in the hope that maybe, just maybe, she would say yes. How could she reject him? The Doctor, her best friend, the man who had one part of herself for years without realizing it. “Okay I’m in,” she finally agreed, this time more surel about her decision.

The vulnerability surrounding him almost made her cry then and there. “Yes?” he asked, almost not believing the opportunity that he was being given.

To hell with honor and duty, Rose thought to herself. For once she could put herself first before everything. She nodded. “Yes.”

He took a few steps towards her, not enough to touch her but enough to see the sincerity in her eyes. “So run?” he asked while extending his hand to her. This was it. She was either going to take his hand or completely deny him and walk away.

She took it without hesitation, smiling that special smile of her. The one she hasn’t used for a long time since their separation. “Yeah run.”


End file.
